Post 997
Folks, I was getting close to 1,000 posts in my old template, which I liked very much, but unfortunately, Firefox did not.
I was getting tired of scrolling to the right to read my writing because Firefox decided not to respect tables. So, I tried a new template. I don't love it, but I seem to have blown away the old one, as well as all of the comments.
I can guarantee I won't be spending time maintaining or mucking with the look of this thing because I'm not allowed access to the scripting behind the element definitions.
Oh well. C'est la vie. I did say I was going to try to simplify my life...
July 1, 2008
Peaceful Relaxation
Next to my head is an open window providing me with gorgeous views and the melodic noise of the crashing surf, which is 50 feet away.
So far, we've done little else than waking to the sound of surf, eating, lounging around the condo, drinking some mexican beers, running on the beach to the sound of the surf, eating, walking along the coast and through the eerily empty ghost town of Mona Lisa Resort, eating a delicious dinner at a local resort with views of the surf, reading to the sound of the surf and sleeping. Lots of sleeping.
Oddly, it's relatively empty here. Most of the vacation homes and motor homes where we are staying are empty. The nearby resorts are either primarily empty, or, empty and in disrepair. I would have thought that the mellow temperatures (highs in the mid 70s) would make this high season. But I would appear to be wrong.
So, in addition to the typically slow Mexican pace of life, there's the added stillness of very few people.
It's just what the doctor ordered.
So far, the most energy intensive activity put Nish and I in her car, trying to find the local yoga studio (which is 6 miles away, according to google maps), failing to find the right street and just driving around town 'til we found a place for margaritas (it's almost like yoga...). We may try again. Or... in all honesty, we may be too lazy.
During Nish's & my debacle, E & A did the typical male thing and bought the world's largest bottle rocket. The explosive portion was approximately 1 foot long and the stick was well over 3 feet long. It was scary to watch them try to light it, but when it finally went... ooohhhh... Cohetes! It shot from the rocks where they lodged it to 20 feet above the ocean and then exploded in an avalanche of color over the ocean.
Last night, after the fireworks show, we all sat on the balcony and talked 'til it was our respective bedtimes. And then, we each slept in 'til the sound of the surf woke us (or, in E's case, will wake him at some point...).
Today, it should be more of the same, although, if we get ambitious, we may head into town to experience the more touristy side of Ensenada that the cruise ship folks see.
Next to my head is an open window providing me with gorgeous views and the melodic noise of the crashing surf, which is 50 feet away.
So far, we've done little else than waking to the sound of surf, eating, lounging around the condo, drinking some mexican beers, running on the beach to the sound of the surf, eating, walking along the coast and through the eerily empty ghost town of Mona Lisa Resort, eating a delicious dinner at a local resort with views of the surf, reading to the sound of the surf and sleeping. Lots of sleeping.
Oddly, it's relatively empty here. Most of the vacation homes and motor homes where we are staying are empty. The nearby resorts are either primarily empty, or, empty and in disrepair. I would have thought that the mellow temperatures (highs in the mid 70s) would make this high season. But I would appear to be wrong.
So, in addition to the typically slow Mexican pace of life, there's the added stillness of very few people.
It's just what the doctor ordered.
So far, the most energy intensive activity put Nish and I in her car, trying to find the local yoga studio (which is 6 miles away, according to google maps), failing to find the right street and just driving around town 'til we found a place for margaritas (it's almost like yoga...). We may try again. Or... in all honesty, we may be too lazy.
During Nish's & my debacle, E & A did the typical male thing and bought the world's largest bottle rocket. The explosive portion was approximately 1 foot long and the stick was well over 3 feet long. It was scary to watch them try to light it, but when it finally went... ooohhhh... Cohetes! It shot from the rocks where they lodged it to 20 feet above the ocean and then exploded in an avalanche of color over the ocean.
Last night, after the fireworks show, we all sat on the balcony and talked 'til it was our respective bedtimes. And then, we each slept in 'til the sound of the surf woke us (or, in E's case, will wake him at some point...).
Today, it should be more of the same, although, if we get ambitious, we may head into town to experience the more touristy side of Ensenada that the cruise ship folks see.
June 24, 2008
A Moment of Thanks
E is home almost every night that I am at home. His work rarely requires overnight travel, and even when he opts to go out late with the boys, he likes to come home to sleep (albeit early in the next morning).
I know this is a blessing, and something for which I should be very thankful. But, like most good things in life, it takes a loss for you to truly appreciate how much you enjoy, depend upon, and benefit from the thing that's usually there.
So, tonight, E is away from home for work. He's got a conference that starts at the ass-crack of dawn tomorrow, so he's staying the night near the conference and he left before I came home from work.
I took the opportunity to stay home alone, catch up on some work, do laundry, and enjoy the silence of the house.
Unfortunately, I had less work than I expected tonight. So, I'm almost done with the laundry. I've called a good friend I normally don't get to speak with during the week and caught up. I've culled the unworn clothes from my closet and organized my clothes for the first time in at least a year. And, truly, now that I'm done with all of this, I'm lonely. I'm looking for more tasks to attack, because I'm quite productive in my effort to stave off the loneliness.
I'm used to having E around. The noises he makes. The comfort his breathing brings to me while we silently sit in the office and work on our respective computers. Even just this simple one night without him (I honestly can't remember the last time I spent a night at home without him), and I feel like something huge is missing from my life.
I can't help but be amazed at how this happened. There was a time when I would have counted "fierce independence" among my most strong character traits. And yet, now, somehow, I've become someone who is very comfortable with, nay, even craves, intertwinedness, interdependence, and a shared life.
Rather than be frustrated with my evolution, I'm so thankful to share my life with someone who (i) wants to share their life with mine; and (ii) is able to do so. I've been told by friends who do not have this luxury that I should be very thankful. And I knew I should -- but tonight, I feel much closer to understanding just how blessed I have been.
Life is a strange and fascinating process.
E is home almost every night that I am at home. His work rarely requires overnight travel, and even when he opts to go out late with the boys, he likes to come home to sleep (albeit early in the next morning).
I know this is a blessing, and something for which I should be very thankful. But, like most good things in life, it takes a loss for you to truly appreciate how much you enjoy, depend upon, and benefit from the thing that's usually there.
So, tonight, E is away from home for work. He's got a conference that starts at the ass-crack of dawn tomorrow, so he's staying the night near the conference and he left before I came home from work.
I took the opportunity to stay home alone, catch up on some work, do laundry, and enjoy the silence of the house.
Unfortunately, I had less work than I expected tonight. So, I'm almost done with the laundry. I've called a good friend I normally don't get to speak with during the week and caught up. I've culled the unworn clothes from my closet and organized my clothes for the first time in at least a year. And, truly, now that I'm done with all of this, I'm lonely. I'm looking for more tasks to attack, because I'm quite productive in my effort to stave off the loneliness.
I'm used to having E around. The noises he makes. The comfort his breathing brings to me while we silently sit in the office and work on our respective computers. Even just this simple one night without him (I honestly can't remember the last time I spent a night at home without him), and I feel like something huge is missing from my life.
I can't help but be amazed at how this happened. There was a time when I would have counted "fierce independence" among my most strong character traits. And yet, now, somehow, I've become someone who is very comfortable with, nay, even craves, intertwinedness, interdependence, and a shared life.
Rather than be frustrated with my evolution, I'm so thankful to share my life with someone who (i) wants to share their life with mine; and (ii) is able to do so. I've been told by friends who do not have this luxury that I should be very thankful. And I knew I should -- but tonight, I feel much closer to understanding just how blessed I have been.
Life is a strange and fascinating process.
June 22, 2008
Surrogate Children
I took a break from work this afternoon to go speak with our across-the-street neighbor because she will be babysitting for us while we are on vacation.
Okay, so really, she'll actually just be watering the plants. But I don't think I've ever gone out of my way to line up care like this for something in my absence...and I can't help but think of the plants as E's and my children. We discuss them. We worry about them. We brought them to their current level of maturity together. We even (I wish I was kidding) have argued over the best way to treat them.
So, it was almost like giving the babysitter instructions when I walked our neighbor through the watering rules we follow (How many times a week should I water them? Well, we just keep 'em damp. Umm...you know, we just check 'em several times a day. We walk out there for breaks from work, breaks from life, just general breaks. Typically, we only actually hit 'em with the hose once a day, but sometimes, like this weekend when it reached 107F in the eaves, it's several times a day...)
Anyways, I'm going to get back to work now. Or perhaps I'll take a quick walk outside to check on the plants first...
I took a break from work this afternoon to go speak with our across-the-street neighbor because she will be babysitting for us while we are on vacation.
Okay, so really, she'll actually just be watering the plants. But I don't think I've ever gone out of my way to line up care like this for something in my absence...and I can't help but think of the plants as E's and my children. We discuss them. We worry about them. We brought them to their current level of maturity together. We even (I wish I was kidding) have argued over the best way to treat them.
So, it was almost like giving the babysitter instructions when I walked our neighbor through the watering rules we follow (How many times a week should I water them? Well, we just keep 'em damp. Umm...you know, we just check 'em several times a day. We walk out there for breaks from work, breaks from life, just general breaks. Typically, we only actually hit 'em with the hose once a day, but sometimes, like this weekend when it reached 107F in the eaves, it's several times a day...)
Anyways, I'm going to get back to work now. Or perhaps I'll take a quick walk outside to check on the plants first...
June 21, 2008
Coming up for air
I'm in another one of those work-'til-you-drop periods again. It's actually been a while, and I've got a vacation coming up, so at least it's fairly well timed.
This time around, I'm trying to force myself to relax, let the work go for an hour or few at a time, and take breaks for things that are more important to me than work -- like lunch with friends, time with my visiting sister, my runs, and a birthday dinner party for a friend.
Fitting all of those things in, however, is stressful. I'm constantly feeling like I should be working when I'm doing the things I told myself were more important than working.
At least I'm actually doing them. Now I just have to get better about enjoying them more.
In other news, it got up to 107F at our house under the eaves yesterday and my short run was *very* sweaty.
Today, I've got 13-15 miles with E2 on deck, which is much less distance than last week's 20, but it's already 80F outside... so I suspect it's gonna be difficult.
Guess I should get out the door sooner rather than later.
I'm in another one of those work-'til-you-drop periods again. It's actually been a while, and I've got a vacation coming up, so at least it's fairly well timed.
This time around, I'm trying to force myself to relax, let the work go for an hour or few at a time, and take breaks for things that are more important to me than work -- like lunch with friends, time with my visiting sister, my runs, and a birthday dinner party for a friend.
Fitting all of those things in, however, is stressful. I'm constantly feeling like I should be working when I'm doing the things I told myself were more important than working.
At least I'm actually doing them. Now I just have to get better about enjoying them more.
In other news, it got up to 107F at our house under the eaves yesterday and my short run was *very* sweaty.
Today, I've got 13-15 miles with E2 on deck, which is much less distance than last week's 20, but it's already 80F outside... so I suspect it's gonna be difficult.
Guess I should get out the door sooner rather than later.
June 15, 2008
Change
It's halfway through June. When did that happen?
It seems like just yesterday that E and I planted the transplants in the garden and tried our hand at growing okra from seeds.
And yet, here we are, 39-days post transplantation for most of the garden, and they are huge! All of the tomato plants have at least one green tomato that is in development, and many have more. (11 days 'til early girl is supposedly bearing her early fruit, and just a few more for the others. I can't wait!):
The herb box has been amazing. My success made me so excited that I purchased some herb seeds and planted those as well (cilantro, dill, chives). Predictably -- it was less of a success -- the dill sprouted, but died over memorial day when no one watered it. The cilantro is hanging in. And the chives, which the packaging swore were like weeds have not yet sprouted.
In particular, the basil is just kicking ass this year. I love it. Every week or two I trim the tops of all 6 plants for a huge harvest of the freshest basil available while forcing them to become even more bushy in their quest for sun.
In such a short time, despite many trimmings for meals, the herb box has gone from this:
To this:
And, much to our surprise, *all* of the okra seedlings. We actually had to cull some of the plants to prevent them from strangling each other. We're still not sure how much success we'll have in pots, but regardless, we've gone from this:
To this:
Plus, a fellow-tomato lover heard of our sunshine and asked if she could borrow some sun. She donated a yellow pear tomato plant that quick caught up with its friends and is doing very well. And as a thank you, she gave us a crook neck squash. This thing is out of control! When we got it it was maybe 2 inches tall with two leaves, and yet, here it is:
It's even starting to produce squash:
But, the biggest surprise for me has been the japanese cucumber plant. It went from this:
To this:
But what's most amazing is the structural supports this thing sends out. I swear, this plant has intelligence. It grows these long probes, which extend in search of things to support itself and when it finds supports, it attaches. And not just a little bit:
Amazing, I tell you.
I'm finding it so fascinating how quickly plants change -- it's a much needed reminder for me that everything is constantly changing. Every day, each of the plants are different from the day before. The squash, in particular, wilts without enough water, and then stands right back up when you alleviate the problem for it.
Yes, the best part will most certainly be the enjoyment of the fruits. But the care and observation of the growing is full of joy as well.
It's halfway through June. When did that happen?
It seems like just yesterday that E and I planted the transplants in the garden and tried our hand at growing okra from seeds.
And yet, here we are, 39-days post transplantation for most of the garden, and they are huge! All of the tomato plants have at least one green tomato that is in development, and many have more. (11 days 'til early girl is supposedly bearing her early fruit, and just a few more for the others. I can't wait!):
The herb box has been amazing. My success made me so excited that I purchased some herb seeds and planted those as well (cilantro, dill, chives). Predictably -- it was less of a success -- the dill sprouted, but died over memorial day when no one watered it. The cilantro is hanging in. And the chives, which the packaging swore were like weeds have not yet sprouted.
In particular, the basil is just kicking ass this year. I love it. Every week or two I trim the tops of all 6 plants for a huge harvest of the freshest basil available while forcing them to become even more bushy in their quest for sun.
In such a short time, despite many trimmings for meals, the herb box has gone from this:
To this:
And, much to our surprise, *all* of the okra seedlings. We actually had to cull some of the plants to prevent them from strangling each other. We're still not sure how much success we'll have in pots, but regardless, we've gone from this:
To this:
Plus, a fellow-tomato lover heard of our sunshine and asked if she could borrow some sun. She donated a yellow pear tomato plant that quick caught up with its friends and is doing very well. And as a thank you, she gave us a crook neck squash. This thing is out of control! When we got it it was maybe 2 inches tall with two leaves, and yet, here it is:
It's even starting to produce squash:
But, the biggest surprise for me has been the japanese cucumber plant. It went from this:
To this:
But what's most amazing is the structural supports this thing sends out. I swear, this plant has intelligence. It grows these long probes, which extend in search of things to support itself and when it finds supports, it attaches. And not just a little bit:
Amazing, I tell you.
I'm finding it so fascinating how quickly plants change -- it's a much needed reminder for me that everything is constantly changing. Every day, each of the plants are different from the day before. The squash, in particular, wilts without enough water, and then stands right back up when you alleviate the problem for it.
Yes, the best part will most certainly be the enjoyment of the fruits. But the care and observation of the growing is full of joy as well.
June 10, 2008
The latest book meme
This comes thanks to Magic Cookie.
I'd never heard of library thing, but it seems like exactly the type of thing I turn to when I'm looking for answers. A collection of geeks who are passionate about something... in this case, books.
I'd love to join, but, if I am honest with myself, I do not have the time, and, I am more passionate about my other hobbies than reading right now, so it wouldn't be a great place to divert my energy. [Speaking of diversion, I got up early this morning to finish some diligence, and yet, here I am blogging...]
So, here's the deal, you take the the top 106 books (why 106? I don't know) from the books most often tagged unread, then, you bold the ones you've read, underline those you read for school (like mc, I'm not gonna bother with this one), and italicize the ones you started but did not finish.
The ultimate hitchhiker's guide by Douglas Adams
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Anna Karenina (Oprah's Book Club) by Leo Tolstoy
The Illearth War: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the… by Stephen R. Donaldson
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Oprah's Book Club) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Vanity Fair (Penguin Classics) by William Makepeace Thackeray
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Ulysses by James Joyce
War and peace by Leo Tolstoy
Madame Bovary (Oxford World's Classics) by Gustave Flaubert
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1) by Neal Stephenson
A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
The Satanic Verses: A Novel (Bestselling Backlist) by Salman Rushdie
Middlemarch (Penguin Classics) by George Eliot
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
The Name of the Rose: including Postscript to the Name of… by Umberto Eco
(No title) by Mohammed
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Odyssey by Homer
The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics) by Geoffrey Chaucer
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (Signet Classics) by Victor Hugo
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics) by Alexandre Dumas
The Iliad by Homer
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Emma by Jane Austen
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
Sons and Lovers (Modern Library Classics) by D.H. Lawrence
Gulliver's travels by Jonathan Swift
The House of Seven Gables (Bantam Classics) by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Oliver Twist (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
The Once and Future King by T. H. White
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Mansfield Park (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Great Expectations (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics) by Thomas Hardy
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
The Corrections: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Underworld: A Novel by Don DeLillo
Ivanhoe (Penguin Classics) by Sir Walter Scott
The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition) by John Steinbeck
Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics) by Charlotte Bronte
Count Brass by Michael Moorcock
The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake
The War of the Worlds (Modern Library Classics) by H. G. Wells
Jude the Obscure (Penguin Classics) by Thomas Hardy
The Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Penguin Classics) by James Joyce
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 1 (Penguin… by Marcel Proust
The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel (Perennial Classics) by Barbara Kingsolver
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
The Portrait of a Lady (Penguin Classics) by Henry James
Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
Silas Marner by George Eliot (57)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)… by Oscar Wilde
The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Confusion (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 2) by Neal Stephenson
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
The Book Thief (Readers Circle) by Markus Zusak
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3) by Neal Stephenson
Bleak House (Modern Library Classics) by Charles Dickens
The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and… by Brian Greene
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Mill on the Floss (Penguin Classics) by George Eliot
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon
Dubliners by James Joyce
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
Les Misérables (Signet Classics) by Victor Hugo
Infinite Jest: A Novel by David Foster Wallace
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Persuasion (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
I like this list. It's got quite a variety and gives me plenty to turn to when I'm looking for a good book.
This comes thanks to Magic Cookie.
I'd never heard of library thing, but it seems like exactly the type of thing I turn to when I'm looking for answers. A collection of geeks who are passionate about something... in this case, books.
I'd love to join, but, if I am honest with myself, I do not have the time, and, I am more passionate about my other hobbies than reading right now, so it wouldn't be a great place to divert my energy. [Speaking of diversion, I got up early this morning to finish some diligence, and yet, here I am blogging...]
So, here's the deal, you take the the top 106 books (why 106? I don't know) from the books most often tagged unread, then, you bold the ones you've read, underline those you read for school (like mc, I'm not gonna bother with this one), and italicize the ones you started but did not finish.
The ultimate hitchhiker's guide by Douglas Adams
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Anna Karenina (Oprah's Book Club) by Leo Tolstoy
The Illearth War: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the… by Stephen R. Donaldson
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Oprah's Book Club) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Vanity Fair (Penguin Classics) by William Makepeace Thackeray
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
Ulysses by James Joyce
War and peace by Leo Tolstoy
Madame Bovary (Oxford World's Classics) by Gustave Flaubert
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1) by Neal Stephenson
A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
The Satanic Verses: A Novel (Bestselling Backlist) by Salman Rushdie
Middlemarch (Penguin Classics) by George Eliot
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
The Name of the Rose: including Postscript to the Name of… by Umberto Eco
(No title) by Mohammed
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Odyssey by Homer
The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics) by Geoffrey Chaucer
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (Signet Classics) by Victor Hugo
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
The three musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics) by Alexandre Dumas
The Iliad by Homer
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Emma by Jane Austen
Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
Sons and Lovers (Modern Library Classics) by D.H. Lawrence
Gulliver's travels by Jonathan Swift
The House of Seven Gables (Bantam Classics) by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Oliver Twist (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
The Once and Future King by T. H. White
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
Mansfield Park (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Great Expectations (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin Classics) by Thomas Hardy
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
The Corrections: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Underworld: A Novel by Don DeLillo
Ivanhoe (Penguin Classics) by Sir Walter Scott
The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition) by John Steinbeck
Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics) by Charlotte Bronte
Count Brass by Michael Moorcock
The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake
The War of the Worlds (Modern Library Classics) by H. G. Wells
Jude the Obscure (Penguin Classics) by Thomas Hardy
The Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin
Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Penguin Classics) by James Joyce
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 1 (Penguin… by Marcel Proust
The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel (Perennial Classics) by Barbara Kingsolver
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
The Portrait of a Lady (Penguin Classics) by Henry James
Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
Silas Marner by George Eliot (57)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)… by Oscar Wilde
The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Confusion (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 2) by Neal Stephenson
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
The Book Thief (Readers Circle) by Markus Zusak
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3) by Neal Stephenson
Bleak House (Modern Library Classics) by Charles Dickens
The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and… by Brian Greene
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Mill on the Floss (Penguin Classics) by George Eliot
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon
Dubliners by James Joyce
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
Les Misérables (Signet Classics) by Victor Hugo
Infinite Jest: A Novel by David Foster Wallace
Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Persuasion (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
I like this list. It's got quite a variety and gives me plenty to turn to when I'm looking for a good book.
June 8, 2008
Now that's an accusation!
A Californian technology billionaire has been accused of feeding ecstasy to unwitting business associates, hosting orgies at a private drugs warehouse and building a secret party lair under his mansion that even his wife knew nothing about.
Looks like Broadcom's former CEO's life is about to get even more interesting.
Or less. Depending on your perspective.
A Californian technology billionaire has been accused of feeding ecstasy to unwitting business associates, hosting orgies at a private drugs warehouse and building a secret party lair under his mansion that even his wife knew nothing about.
Looks like Broadcom's former CEO's life is about to get even more interesting.
Or less. Depending on your perspective.
Exhausted
We were guests at my second-cousin/childhood friend's wedding this weekend. It was gorgeous, wonderful, but poignant given all of my dad's friends who were there. Maintaining my composure while interacting with them stressed me out more than I realized. This morning, on the drive home, E & I took a detour to go visit Dad's grave and I broke down in heart-wrenching body-shaking sobs. I hadn't been physically sad like that in a long time.
At the wedding, I couldn't remember the names of some folks I went to high school with, and, even better, one of the bridesmaids I hung out with in Vegas. A month ago. I made a bit of an ass of myself by calling her the wrong name when trying to introduce E. I'd love to say it was at the end of the event, so at least I could blame it on too much alcohol. But no, it was the first time I saw her. Before we even sat down. Awesome.
If you are not cursed with the lack of name memory, you have no idea how much it sucks. But, trust me, it does. Every time I walk in a room full of people, I know I am going to encounter someone who knows my name, about whom I know plenty of life details, but, for the life of me, I will not be able to retrieve their name. What I need to learn to do is to stop trying. I would have been much better off if I managed the conversation without trying to remember this girl's name than I was when I *thought* I remembered it. I mean, Andrea sounds like Becky, right?
The best quote of the weekend comes from M, when E, M, lucky_girl and I pulled into the beachfront event center of our hotel where we wanted to take some pictures of the four of us all gussied up in our wedding attire.
Valet: Hello, are you here for the furball?
M: No. But it sounds interesting...
Lucky_girl suggested we crash the furball (we later found out it was a benefit for animals) after the wedding. But, sadly, we are old and we had no interest in going anywhere other than straight back to the hotel at the end of the night.
And now, I must go bury myself in work. If we hadn't gone out of town, I could have worked straight through the weekend and still would not have finished it all. But we did leave, so this should be a fun week.
We were guests at my second-cousin/childhood friend's wedding this weekend. It was gorgeous, wonderful, but poignant given all of my dad's friends who were there. Maintaining my composure while interacting with them stressed me out more than I realized. This morning, on the drive home, E & I took a detour to go visit Dad's grave and I broke down in heart-wrenching body-shaking sobs. I hadn't been physically sad like that in a long time.
At the wedding, I couldn't remember the names of some folks I went to high school with, and, even better, one of the bridesmaids I hung out with in Vegas. A month ago. I made a bit of an ass of myself by calling her the wrong name when trying to introduce E. I'd love to say it was at the end of the event, so at least I could blame it on too much alcohol. But no, it was the first time I saw her. Before we even sat down. Awesome.
If you are not cursed with the lack of name memory, you have no idea how much it sucks. But, trust me, it does. Every time I walk in a room full of people, I know I am going to encounter someone who knows my name, about whom I know plenty of life details, but, for the life of me, I will not be able to retrieve their name. What I need to learn to do is to stop trying. I would have been much better off if I managed the conversation without trying to remember this girl's name than I was when I *thought* I remembered it. I mean, Andrea sounds like Becky, right?
The best quote of the weekend comes from M, when E, M, lucky_girl and I pulled into the beachfront event center of our hotel where we wanted to take some pictures of the four of us all gussied up in our wedding attire.
Valet: Hello, are you here for the furball?
M: No. But it sounds interesting...
Lucky_girl suggested we crash the furball (we later found out it was a benefit for animals) after the wedding. But, sadly, we are old and we had no interest in going anywhere other than straight back to the hotel at the end of the night.
And now, I must go bury myself in work. If we hadn't gone out of town, I could have worked straight through the weekend and still would not have finished it all. But we did leave, so this should be a fun week.
June 2, 2008
Bacon, Chick-Pea, Carrot Stew
The title pretty much says it all, my friends.
I've been working too hard to grocery shop. When I get spare time on the weekends, I take the opportunity to hang out with E, visiting Bro & niece, or E2. So, no shopping.
Upon arrival home this evening, I was greeted with a grim sight in our fridge (those who know me well will ask whether the sight was any grimmer than usual -- and honestly, I could not say...).
So, as a much needed break in the middle of my 13-billable-hour-day (groan... 8:30-7:30 straight at work plus an additional 2 hours of billable work at home make BT something-something...) I cobbled together a healthy stew that we both enjoyed from the random bits in the fridge and pantry. If, for some reason, you find yourself with these ingredients, enjoy!
Clean out the pantry and fridge healthy stew
-1/4 lb bacon, left over from camping, chopped into 1/4 inch squares
-4 carrots, washed, peeled, and chopped into 1/4 inch rounds
-1/2 white onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, diced
-3 T of "La Bomba" red chili flakes mixed with herbs and dried porcini from a friend who lived in Italy and brought it back as a present (R's little bro, the chef)
-2 cans chick peas (garbonzo beans)
-1 can stewed tomatoes
-1 box chopped Pomi
-1/4 box beef broth
-3 sprigs fresh rosemary from your herb box [insert happy I-love-my-herb-box-grin]
-2 sprigs lemon thyme from your herb box [repeat]
-4 sprigs Italian Oregano from your herb box [repeat, cautiously]
-3 longer sprigs majoram [okay, so the entire point of this post is to point out how happy an herb box can make you when you spend your entire life on the busy-busy treadmill of capitalist business support.]
1. Brown bacon on medium heat. Drain 3/4 of bacon fat into empty wine bottle. Watch southern husband scowl.
2. Add 2 T olive oil, garlic, onions, and carrots. Stir vigorously for a few minutes. Add "La Bomba" and cough at the red chili pepper flake smoke. Potent stuff!
3. Add tomatoes & beans. Lower heat to simmer. Add washed and minced handful of herb-box herbs. Note that no one is as impressed as you are by the herb-box herbs. Leave covered on low to simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Stir. Add broth (and water if necessary). Continue to simmer until carrots are the correct level of cooked (total of 50 minutes or so).
5. Remove from heat. Serve into large bowls. Enjoy. Serves 3 hearty appetites for dinner (or, more importantly in our case, happily serves 2, with enough to feel like a good wife when you look at what you're leaving for lunch for your husband for the next day).
Enjoy!
The title pretty much says it all, my friends.
I've been working too hard to grocery shop. When I get spare time on the weekends, I take the opportunity to hang out with E, visiting Bro & niece, or E2. So, no shopping.
Upon arrival home this evening, I was greeted with a grim sight in our fridge (those who know me well will ask whether the sight was any grimmer than usual -- and honestly, I could not say...).
So, as a much needed break in the middle of my 13-billable-hour-day (groan... 8:30-7:30 straight at work plus an additional 2 hours of billable work at home make BT something-something...) I cobbled together a healthy stew that we both enjoyed from the random bits in the fridge and pantry. If, for some reason, you find yourself with these ingredients, enjoy!
Clean out the pantry and fridge healthy stew
-1/4 lb bacon, left over from camping, chopped into 1/4 inch squares
-4 carrots, washed, peeled, and chopped into 1/4 inch rounds
-1/2 white onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, diced
-3 T of "La Bomba" red chili flakes mixed with herbs and dried porcini from a friend who lived in Italy and brought it back as a present (R's little bro, the chef)
-2 cans chick peas (garbonzo beans)
-1 can stewed tomatoes
-1 box chopped Pomi
-1/4 box beef broth
-3 sprigs fresh rosemary from your herb box [insert happy I-love-my-herb-box-grin]
-2 sprigs lemon thyme from your herb box [repeat]
-4 sprigs Italian Oregano from your herb box [repeat, cautiously]
-3 longer sprigs majoram [okay, so the entire point of this post is to point out how happy an herb box can make you when you spend your entire life on the busy-busy treadmill of capitalist business support.]
1. Brown bacon on medium heat. Drain 3/4 of bacon fat into empty wine bottle. Watch southern husband scowl.
2. Add 2 T olive oil, garlic, onions, and carrots. Stir vigorously for a few minutes. Add "La Bomba" and cough at the red chili pepper flake smoke. Potent stuff!
3. Add tomatoes & beans. Lower heat to simmer. Add washed and minced handful of herb-box herbs. Note that no one is as impressed as you are by the herb-box herbs. Leave covered on low to simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Stir. Add broth (and water if necessary). Continue to simmer until carrots are the correct level of cooked (total of 50 minutes or so).
5. Remove from heat. Serve into large bowls. Enjoy. Serves 3 hearty appetites for dinner (or, more importantly in our case, happily serves 2, with enough to feel like a good wife when you look at what you're leaving for lunch for your husband for the next day).
Enjoy!
May 28, 2008
Tear-jerkers
When I get depressed, there is nothing I enjoy more than a movie, which is guaranteed to make me cry.
You will note that the previous sentence does not say,
When I get depressed, there is nothing I enjoy more than a movie which is guaranteed to make me cry.
You see, tonight I have learned that all movies make me cry when I'm sad. Previously, I suspected it was something about the dry eyes and the blinking at the screen, and the music. Or maybe it had something to do with planes, since I'm always crying at movies on planes. Or something. But I have realized that I'm just a movie crier. And the cheesier and more clichéed the plots are, the better.
Recent successful entrants in this category include:
-Secretary
-Water
-Under the Tuscan Sun
-Sweet Home Alabama
-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
And some historical go-to favorites are:
-Rudy
-Playing by Heart
-La Vita è bella
But, tonight, I finally confirmed for myself that it really doesn't matter what the movie is. Tonight, because I was bordering on very sad, I didn't think the House of Sand and Fog was a good idea, so I plopped myself in front of the tube for 2 hours and balled my eyes out to Runaway Bride.
The 5/10 star rating on IMDB is *extremely* generous. It may be one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
And yet, it did the trick. I'm ready for some yoga and bed and then tomorrow will be a lighter, more carefree day.
When I get depressed, there is nothing I enjoy more than a movie, which is guaranteed to make me cry.
You will note that the previous sentence does not say,
When I get depressed, there is nothing I enjoy more than a movie which is guaranteed to make me cry.
You see, tonight I have learned that all movies make me cry when I'm sad. Previously, I suspected it was something about the dry eyes and the blinking at the screen, and the music. Or maybe it had something to do with planes, since I'm always crying at movies on planes. Or something. But I have realized that I'm just a movie crier. And the cheesier and more clichéed the plots are, the better.
Recent successful entrants in this category include:
-Secretary
-Water
-Under the Tuscan Sun
-Sweet Home Alabama
-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
And some historical go-to favorites are:
-Rudy
-Playing by Heart
-La Vita è bella
But, tonight, I finally confirmed for myself that it really doesn't matter what the movie is. Tonight, because I was bordering on very sad, I didn't think the House of Sand and Fog was a good idea, so I plopped myself in front of the tube for 2 hours and balled my eyes out to Runaway Bride.
The 5/10 star rating on IMDB is *extremely* generous. It may be one of the worst movies I've ever seen.
And yet, it did the trick. I'm ready for some yoga and bed and then tomorrow will be a lighter, more carefree day.
May 26, 2008
Delta, revisited
Last time we spent memorial day on the delta:
-E2 had the smelly tent, and camped on the grass outside our rented trailer/mobile-home
-Dad drove to join us, and hazed E with entirely too many beers
-E tried to build our newly purchased cheap as shit BBQ, but drunk due to Dad's plying him with beverages, he failed, spectacularly, and fabulously.
-In reality, Dad hazed E 'til he had to be put to bed and then he played poker with us girls (J, E2, sis & me), and felt slightly guilty about E's early bedtime, as if, perhaps it was partly his fault (you think?);
-To cap off the night, J played the famous "5-6-7-8-8" poker hand
-I got too much sun
-Most of the folks got in the freezing water, but not me, not even for the beer-swim.
I had forgotten that it was *very windy* that weekend.
But, this weekend reminded me...that life changes, but not too much, for example, let's just say:
-I am sunburnt (and happy to have relaxed in the sun), again.
-It was windy, again. (The winds hit >25 mph tonight and I chickened out and suggested and cajoled our entire campsite home (with the pre-emptive strike of lucky-girl who'd intelligently pre-called an early departure)).
-Indulgence was the theme of the weekend, again, whether it was alcomohal, meat for the vegetarians, or just sleep. Of course, other than the sleep, the indulgence was toned down the order of magnitude you'd expect for the 5 years between the last visit. Somewhat disappointing, really.
-And finally, E2's new tent is gorgeous, streamlined for the wind, and not the least bit reeking of sour milk. (Prop's to P for that change!)
Overall, a good time was had by all. But I must say, I think I'll head E2's advice -- given the wind, perhaps Delta camping isn't a great idea...
Maybe I'll learn my lesson this time around. Anyone wanna give me odds? Or better yet, suggestions on locations for our next local camping trip?
Last time we spent memorial day on the delta:
-E2 had the smelly tent, and camped on the grass outside our rented trailer/mobile-home
-Dad drove to join us, and hazed E with entirely too many beers
-E tried to build our newly purchased cheap as shit BBQ, but drunk due to Dad's plying him with beverages, he failed, spectacularly, and fabulously.
-In reality, Dad hazed E 'til he had to be put to bed and then he played poker with us girls (J, E2, sis & me), and felt slightly guilty about E's early bedtime, as if, perhaps it was partly his fault (you think?);
-To cap off the night, J played the famous "5-6-7-8-8" poker hand
-I got too much sun
-Most of the folks got in the freezing water, but not me, not even for the beer-swim.
I had forgotten that it was *very windy* that weekend.
But, this weekend reminded me...that life changes, but not too much, for example, let's just say:
-I am sunburnt (and happy to have relaxed in the sun), again.
-It was windy, again. (The winds hit >25 mph tonight and I chickened out and suggested and cajoled our entire campsite home (with the pre-emptive strike of lucky-girl who'd intelligently pre-called an early departure)).
-Indulgence was the theme of the weekend, again, whether it was alcomohal, meat for the vegetarians, or just sleep. Of course, other than the sleep, the indulgence was toned down the order of magnitude you'd expect for the 5 years between the last visit. Somewhat disappointing, really.
-And finally, E2's new tent is gorgeous, streamlined for the wind, and not the least bit reeking of sour milk. (Prop's to P for that change!)
Overall, a good time was had by all. But I must say, I think I'll head E2's advice -- given the wind, perhaps Delta camping isn't a great idea...
Maybe I'll learn my lesson this time around. Anyone wanna give me odds? Or better yet, suggestions on locations for our next local camping trip?
May 18, 2008
Bountiful Spring Salad
Yeah, I spent the weekend in the city with my mom and sister, bonding and navigating the crowds of bay-to-breakers. We did it faster than the last time, 3 years ago, and I was very proud of my mom, who finished 248th in her age-group, an order of magnitude above where I placed my mine...
Upon arrival at home, I was exhausted.
I should have stopped by the office to pick up some diligence. Its review is due tomorrow by noon. But I just couldn't. I'd worked 5 days for more than 12 hours this week and 6 hours on Saturday. I needed a day off. Tomorrow AM is gonna suck, but them's the breaks. I did sign up with full knowledge...
So, trading today for tomorrow, I came straight home, met E at the garden, and we observed the plants with approval, and then, I fell into a deep-sleeping nap on the couch.
When I woke, I found myself facing a small around the house todo list including a fridge full of wilting vegetables from last weekend's spring bounty from the farmer's market.
After evaluation and some thought, I combined the greener portions of what was in the fridge with the first harvest from our garden -- BASIL! You can cut the tops off and encourage it to grow more fully as soon as it's sprouted several new leaves. What a gorgeous, delicious, non-complex, reproduction focused plant!
So, in celebration of the first spring harvest, I present the *greenest* salad ever made in our kitchen:
Spring Bounty Salad
-1 bunch baby asparagus spears, washed, trimmed of tough ends and wilted spear tops (if any), and chopped into 1 inch pieces.
-2 red potatoes, washed, chopped into 1/4 inch by 1/2 inch pieces.
-1 cup fava beans, shelled.
-sea salt.
-extra virgin olive oil.
-rice vinegar.
-1 bunch parsely.
-1/2 bunch dill.
-tops of 6 basil plants (approx, 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped).
-1 T red pepper flakes.
1. Lightly boil chopped potatoes in salted water 'til tender (approx 15-20 minutes). Drain and top with cold water.
2. Lightly boil fava beans until bright green and floating (5 minutes or less). Remove the white skin and place in cold water.
3. Lightly boil asparagus spears until bright green and floating (5 minutes or less). Remove from water and place in cold water.
4. In a cuisinart, combine parsely, basil, dill, several times around the dish of olive oil, a similar amount (if slightly less) of rice vinegar, and pepper flakes. Pulse, clear the edges with a rubber scraper, and continue to blend until a nice evenly chopped pesto.
5. Combine all cold vegetables and pesto in a dish. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
6. Serve cold, with sourdough baguette pieces to soup up the left-over pesto.
Enjoy!
Yeah, I spent the weekend in the city with my mom and sister, bonding and navigating the crowds of bay-to-breakers. We did it faster than the last time, 3 years ago, and I was very proud of my mom, who finished 248th in her age-group, an order of magnitude above where I placed my mine...
Upon arrival at home, I was exhausted.
I should have stopped by the office to pick up some diligence. Its review is due tomorrow by noon. But I just couldn't. I'd worked 5 days for more than 12 hours this week and 6 hours on Saturday. I needed a day off. Tomorrow AM is gonna suck, but them's the breaks. I did sign up with full knowledge...
So, trading today for tomorrow, I came straight home, met E at the garden, and we observed the plants with approval, and then, I fell into a deep-sleeping nap on the couch.
When I woke, I found myself facing a small around the house todo list including a fridge full of wilting vegetables from last weekend's spring bounty from the farmer's market.
After evaluation and some thought, I combined the greener portions of what was in the fridge with the first harvest from our garden -- BASIL! You can cut the tops off and encourage it to grow more fully as soon as it's sprouted several new leaves. What a gorgeous, delicious, non-complex, reproduction focused plant!
So, in celebration of the first spring harvest, I present the *greenest* salad ever made in our kitchen:
Spring Bounty Salad
-1 bunch baby asparagus spears, washed, trimmed of tough ends and wilted spear tops (if any), and chopped into 1 inch pieces.
-2 red potatoes, washed, chopped into 1/4 inch by 1/2 inch pieces.
-1 cup fava beans, shelled.
-sea salt.
-extra virgin olive oil.
-rice vinegar.
-1 bunch parsely.
-1/2 bunch dill.
-tops of 6 basil plants (approx, 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped).
-1 T red pepper flakes.
1. Lightly boil chopped potatoes in salted water 'til tender (approx 15-20 minutes). Drain and top with cold water.
2. Lightly boil fava beans until bright green and floating (5 minutes or less). Remove the white skin and place in cold water.
3. Lightly boil asparagus spears until bright green and floating (5 minutes or less). Remove from water and place in cold water.
4. In a cuisinart, combine parsely, basil, dill, several times around the dish of olive oil, a similar amount (if slightly less) of rice vinegar, and pepper flakes. Pulse, clear the edges with a rubber scraper, and continue to blend until a nice evenly chopped pesto.
5. Combine all cold vegetables and pesto in a dish. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
6. Serve cold, with sourdough baguette pieces to soup up the left-over pesto.
Enjoy!
May 17, 2008
Snap, Crackle, Pop!
Last night, around 10:30, we ran outside to the sound of firecrackers.
So had all of our neighbors. They'd beaten us outside and were standing around a huge tree branch from our tree that had partially broken from the trunk about 20 feet in the air and had fallen into the middle of our street.
Sorry, said the adorable neighbor kid. *Smartass*
We hung out with the neighbors in the street for a while, walking around the huge branch and listening to the groans of our tree. We analyzed the situation and agreed that it was likely that our tree would be tagged and removed, just like our next door neighbor's tree of the same variety.
We all commented on how the branch was so big that had E2's car been parked in it's regular spot, it would have been fine. Our neighbors even mentioned the make and color of E2's car, which made me realize how often she must be here. So, we hung out in the hot night air, with the branch still partially attached to the tree arching to touch down in the middle of the street.
One of our neighbors called the city -- apparently there had been a flyer about how our type of tree is often diseased and we should call if things appeared amiss. Seemed like as good of a time as any to call.
Eventually, two cop cars came, and they moved the branch to be parallel to the street, although still attached to the tree (blocking E's car into our driveway).
An hour later, the city sent a huge truck to chainsaw it down with a long-arm chainsaw that brought us back out into the street -- that thing was cool! I can't believe I've never seen one in a horror film.
Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures 'til this morning.
So, this is where the tree branch broke from the tree:
And, this is what is left of the fallen branch:
Do we know how to party on a Friday night, or what?
Last night, around 10:30, we ran outside to the sound of firecrackers.
So had all of our neighbors. They'd beaten us outside and were standing around a huge tree branch from our tree that had partially broken from the trunk about 20 feet in the air and had fallen into the middle of our street.
Sorry, said the adorable neighbor kid. *Smartass*
We hung out with the neighbors in the street for a while, walking around the huge branch and listening to the groans of our tree. We analyzed the situation and agreed that it was likely that our tree would be tagged and removed, just like our next door neighbor's tree of the same variety.
We all commented on how the branch was so big that had E2's car been parked in it's regular spot, it would have been fine. Our neighbors even mentioned the make and color of E2's car, which made me realize how often she must be here. So, we hung out in the hot night air, with the branch still partially attached to the tree arching to touch down in the middle of the street.
One of our neighbors called the city -- apparently there had been a flyer about how our type of tree is often diseased and we should call if things appeared amiss. Seemed like as good of a time as any to call.
Eventually, two cop cars came, and they moved the branch to be parallel to the street, although still attached to the tree (blocking E's car into our driveway).
An hour later, the city sent a huge truck to chainsaw it down with a long-arm chainsaw that brought us back out into the street -- that thing was cool! I can't believe I've never seen one in a horror film.
Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures 'til this morning.
So, this is where the tree branch broke from the tree:
And, this is what is left of the fallen branch:
Do we know how to party on a Friday night, or what?
May 14, 2008
The Miracle of Life
Last night, when I arrived home in the dark, E greeted me outside with a flashlight and a huge grin.
He showed me this:
And This:
I realize that these look like buckets of dirt. But if you look very, very closely, you will see sprouts of green which made us very happy.
These would be the okra seedlings that we somehow managed to germinate from seeds. Despite failing to soak them prior to planting (why would you read the directions?) and despite some severe overwatering (read: standing water), we managed to coax several shoots of green to burst forth from the dirt.
Until recently, I was best known for my brown thumb and my ability to kill any and every plant with which I had contact.
I haven't grown anything from seeds since I was a kid (and my parents helped), but E really wanted okra and there were no seedlings. So, we acknowledged that it would probably fail but tried anyways. I'm so proud!
And, like a parent with child pictures, I present pictures of the rest of our garden as well, to show that I love all of my plants.
Tomatoes, 7 days post transplantation:
Herb Box:
Japanese cucumber, 7 days post transplantation:
Last night, when I arrived home in the dark, E greeted me outside with a flashlight and a huge grin.
He showed me this:
And This:
I realize that these look like buckets of dirt. But if you look very, very closely, you will see sprouts of green which made us very happy.
These would be the okra seedlings that we somehow managed to germinate from seeds. Despite failing to soak them prior to planting (why would you read the directions?) and despite some severe overwatering (read: standing water), we managed to coax several shoots of green to burst forth from the dirt.
Until recently, I was best known for my brown thumb and my ability to kill any and every plant with which I had contact.
I haven't grown anything from seeds since I was a kid (and my parents helped), but E really wanted okra and there were no seedlings. So, we acknowledged that it would probably fail but tried anyways. I'm so proud!
And, like a parent with child pictures, I present pictures of the rest of our garden as well, to show that I love all of my plants.
Tomatoes, 7 days post transplantation:
Herb Box:
Japanese cucumber, 7 days post transplantation:
May 11, 2008
I thought I'd seen it all
I had a bit of a Vegas habit for a while. Instead of flying, I drove out a few times, even, for the privilege of heat and sun and staying in cheap motels and finding the best bargains on food I could while spending my free money gambling at the lower table minimum and good craps odds locations.
Then I grew tired of the place and only went when invited.
My last visit was a long weekend of spending too much money, indulging in too much alcohol, and meeting Kfed (another story).
This past weekend, was almost the exact opposite of the last one, except I stayed in the same hotel and uttered, yet again, If I never have to set foot in another club in my life, that would be just fine with me..
Thus, I dub the past weekend The healthiest weekend I've ever spent in Vegas. No real excess in food, spending, or alcohol. Instead, I caught up with friends, and I went to the gym and hit the treadmill. As a huge shock to my system (I suspect my liver cringes every time I land at MacArran), the total number of drinks I consumed over the entire weekend was in the single digits.
And, finally, after all the jokes, I've now seen The Thunder. Even worse, I sincerely enjoyed it. Those guys work their asses off (literally) to put on a great show. And watching the sincere and heartful joy (and fear of heart palpitations) of the 50+ year old women at our table was the highlight of my weekend. No joke.
Such joy those young Aussies bring to the world.
Such givers!
I had a bit of a Vegas habit for a while. Instead of flying, I drove out a few times, even, for the privilege of heat and sun and staying in cheap motels and finding the best bargains on food I could while spending my free money gambling at the lower table minimum and good craps odds locations.
Then I grew tired of the place and only went when invited.
My last visit was a long weekend of spending too much money, indulging in too much alcohol, and meeting Kfed (another story).
This past weekend, was almost the exact opposite of the last one, except I stayed in the same hotel and uttered, yet again, If I never have to set foot in another club in my life, that would be just fine with me..
Thus, I dub the past weekend The healthiest weekend I've ever spent in Vegas. No real excess in food, spending, or alcohol. Instead, I caught up with friends, and I went to the gym and hit the treadmill. As a huge shock to my system (I suspect my liver cringes every time I land at MacArran), the total number of drinks I consumed over the entire weekend was in the single digits.
And, finally, after all the jokes, I've now seen The Thunder. Even worse, I sincerely enjoyed it. Those guys work their asses off (literally) to put on a great show. And watching the sincere and heartful joy (and fear of heart palpitations) of the 50+ year old women at our table was the highlight of my weekend. No joke.
Such joy those young Aussies bring to the world.
Such givers!
May 8, 2008
The reality
Work exploded this week.
I've worked past midnight every night this week (past 1 AM for two). Although I've fit in some yoga, I have yet to run a single mile since my return. Every time it's planned, something gets in the way. I'm holding out hope for tomorrow AM (the same hope I had this AM, yesterday AM, the day before that...)
Every single one of my clients or the partners I work for seems to have an emergency and I can't help but feel simultaneously flattered and at the same time as if I'm failing to help them as much or as quickly as they need me.
I feel alternatingly guilty and stressed. Today was an a blizzard of phone calls with clients begging me to do their work while they waited on the line so we could discuss it, right then, right there...
But, I am busy because my clients give me issues to address that are exciting and it's so interesting! I'm learning a ton. I love my job. I just wish there was a way to decouple it from its cyclic nature.
Vacation was fun while it lasted!
Work exploded this week.
I've worked past midnight every night this week (past 1 AM for two). Although I've fit in some yoga, I have yet to run a single mile since my return. Every time it's planned, something gets in the way. I'm holding out hope for tomorrow AM (the same hope I had this AM, yesterday AM, the day before that...)
Every single one of my clients or the partners I work for seems to have an emergency and I can't help but feel simultaneously flattered and at the same time as if I'm failing to help them as much or as quickly as they need me.
I feel alternatingly guilty and stressed. Today was an a blizzard of phone calls with clients begging me to do their work while they waited on the line so we could discuss it, right then, right there...
But, I am busy because my clients give me issues to address that are exciting and it's so interesting! I'm learning a ton. I love my job. I just wish there was a way to decouple it from its cyclic nature.
Vacation was fun while it lasted!
May 6, 2008
This year's garden
Well, since last year's single Black Krim seedling brought us much happiness, and supplied about 1/2 of our tomato needs for the months it was bearing ripe fruit, we did the logical thing, and planted 6 tomato plants this year.
So, in order of predicted fruit-bearing, assuming we manage to keep them alive until they bear fruit, you can expect to see tomato recipes featuring:
To go with these, we also planted an expanded herb box containing 6 basil plants, lemon thyme, rosemary, italian oregano, and marjoram.
In honor of our vacation, we're trying our hand at 1 Japanese cucumber plant.
And, in honor of E's southern roots, we planted okra, from seeds (but of course, we don't know what the hell we're doing, so we planted, literally, 10 seed-filled indentations with 1-4 seeds each, and it'll be a miracle if we manage to raise one to a fruit-bearing plant.) After the planting was done, E read the packet to see we were supposed to soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting. We decided post-planting soaking was the best way to remedy this mistake and watered accordingly. So yeah... I'll report back on that one. I'd say that at this point, one fruit-bearing plant would be a success, and none would not, necessarily, be a failure, since we couldn't possibly plant the whole seed packet and the winner might still be in there.
So yeah. It's good to be home. I'm excited about summer harvest.
Well, since last year's single Black Krim seedling brought us much happiness, and supplied about 1/2 of our tomato needs for the months it was bearing ripe fruit, we did the logical thing, and planted 6 tomato plants this year.
So, in order of predicted fruit-bearing, assuming we manage to keep them alive until they bear fruit, you can expect to see tomato recipes featuring:
- Early Girl -- 50-65 days from transplantation.
- Sweet 100 -- 65 days from transplantation.
- Better Boy Tomato -- 75 days from transplantation. And, the Guiness world record holder for weight of tomato fruit produced from one plant. I can't wait!
- Black Krim -- the favorite from last year returns again. 75-80 days from transplantation. But worth every one of 'em.
- Mr. Stripey -- 80 days from transplantation. I mean, really, with a name like that, how could we resist?
- Beefmaster -- 80 days from transplation. The logic from Mr. Stripey controls, clearly.
To go with these, we also planted an expanded herb box containing 6 basil plants, lemon thyme, rosemary, italian oregano, and marjoram.
In honor of our vacation, we're trying our hand at 1 Japanese cucumber plant.
And, in honor of E's southern roots, we planted okra, from seeds (but of course, we don't know what the hell we're doing, so we planted, literally, 10 seed-filled indentations with 1-4 seeds each, and it'll be a miracle if we manage to raise one to a fruit-bearing plant.) After the planting was done, E read the packet to see we were supposed to soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting. We decided post-planting soaking was the best way to remedy this mistake and watered accordingly. So yeah... I'll report back on that one. I'd say that at this point, one fruit-bearing plant would be a success, and none would not, necessarily, be a failure, since we couldn't possibly plant the whole seed packet and the winner might still be in there.
So yeah. It's good to be home. I'm excited about summer harvest.
May 5, 2008
About time
Finally, last night, after a long phone call with R and too much wine, I was able to fall asleep before 1:30 and sleep 'til 7:30 without waking up.
Prior to that, every night since our return, I'd had trouble falling asleep, and staying asleep.
I am shocked that it took me an entire week to get back on some semblance of the correct time schedule after being in Asia.
I have no idea how people travel to Asia on business on a regular basis.
Finally, last night, after a long phone call with R and too much wine, I was able to fall asleep before 1:30 and sleep 'til 7:30 without waking up.
Prior to that, every night since our return, I'd had trouble falling asleep, and staying asleep.
I am shocked that it took me an entire week to get back on some semblance of the correct time schedule after being in Asia.
I have no idea how people travel to Asia on business on a regular basis.
May 1, 2008
Japan Reading and Listening List
We had a fabulous time in Japan. My experience was significantly deepened by several items I can recommend:
1. Pimsleur CDs. It took me almost a year to get through all 30 lessons on my commute to work. I'd repeat the lessons until I could do the majority of the prompted responses from memory. It helped enourmously. I can't wait to start the Spanish Pimsleur CDs (my next language!) and I swear, I will never use another learn by audio language program. Pimsleur is so superior to any other program I've tried.
2. Of course, Books. My favorite past-time.
And now, I'm back home. 6 books that I would be proud to include on my booklist as books I read this year in pursuit of my approximately 20 book challenge. 1 travel book as a resource that I can't claim because I didn't read it cover to cover. 2 arty-books I could claim if desperate. I'll wait 'til the end of the year to see if I need to claim the arty-books to hit 20. For now, I'll content myself with the fact that I'm on book 9 without 'em and it's only 4 months in. And, of course, now that I'm back to work, I'll resume my regularly scheduled program of finishing approximately 1 book per month or so.
We had a fabulous time in Japan. My experience was significantly deepened by several items I can recommend:
1. Pimsleur CDs. It took me almost a year to get through all 30 lessons on my commute to work. I'd repeat the lessons until I could do the majority of the prompted responses from memory. It helped enourmously. I can't wait to start the Spanish Pimsleur CDs (my next language!) and I swear, I will never use another learn by audio language program. Pimsleur is so superior to any other program I've tried.
2. Of course, Books. My favorite past-time.
- Lonely Planet Japan -- we referred to this for each city we visited. It had all the important stuff -- history, maps, background. A great reference to be supplemented with the Internet, advice from Friends, and books.
- Pictures from the Water Trade, by John David Morley -- a coworker gave me this book along with a book on how to read and write kanji. The next day he stopped by to apologize that the book may be, at times, a bit racey, and to ensure me that he did not intend to be inappropriate. It's literature! But how sweet is that? Anyways, this book was probably the most purely educational book of all of the books I read. The author is clearly a language lover after my own heart, and pages upon pages were dedicated to analysis of the sounds of the language, the affectation, it's rhythm and cadence and preparatory wrappings, soft endings, noises, and more. When he tired of language, he wrote of the underground -- the "water trade" or modern day bars where women are often available for entertainment (dancing, talking, and, of course, the oldest profession in the world). The difference in cultural perspective on the water trade in Japan was necessary to my understanding of gender roles in Japan. Similarly, he spends much time analyzing his outsider status vis-a-vis his growing command of the language and cultural norms, which is typically the means that the Japanese use to distinguish insiders from outsiders. While the plot is relatively non-existant, the observations and analysis is fascinating, and I highly recommend this book if you'd like to gain a better understanding of Japanese culture.
- Dave Barry Does Japan -- okay, I must admit. I made a mistake. I thought this was a Bill Bryson book when I bought it. How? Well, as I've told everyone who will listen, I'm *REALLY* bad with names. I just don't think they are important. I record relevant information to me, like *funny,* *articulate,* *travel writer,* and well...I'm lazy too. Anyways, E laughed his ass off when I admitted my mistake because he was surprised when I bought the book. It struck him as a wee bit too culturally insensitive for my usual tastes. But, I was pleasantly surprised. I thought Mr. Barry did an excellent job of reporting on Japanese culture from the American perspective. It was surprisingly well-researched (although, given that he's won a pulitzer, perhaps it shouldn't have been so surprising). And it was damn funny, too.
- Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa, by Karin Muller -- I think this book was the most relevant to my experience. It was the story of an American woman in her mid-30's who moved to Japan for a year to try to report on japanese culture, and did so by living with a traditional Japanese family. Much of her story is her strugge against the Mother of the family, which truly, is a wonderful metaphor for her struggle against/within the culture as a whole. I will be recommending this book to all of my Japanese-American friends who struggle against their mothers (that would be all of them, to my knowledge) because I read about so many of the arguments my friends have described, but they were explained through the eyes of a cultural anthropologist. It made so much more sense.
- The Teahouse Fire: A Novel, by Ellis Avery -- I picked this one up at SFO before we left. Set in Kyoto during the turn of the 19th century, it told the story of a young Franco-American girl from New York whose mother dies immediately after she is brought to Japan by her uncle, a Catholic Missionary. After a fire, she runs away, feigns ignorance of her origins to escape her horrid uncle and ends up working as a servant to one of the great tea-ceremony families. The cultural and historical details were breathtaking and the story was gripping. It's a great book, even if you won't be going to Kyoto while you are reading it. But if you are... you can visit temples, confectionaries where they make tea sweets, and Pontocho and imagine the world she describes so clearly as if it still exists.
- Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimote -- This book was a best-seller in Japan in the 1980s and the English version was received abroad equally as well after its translation. The lovely A recommended it (I believe), and I loved it. The main characters' voices were all simultaneously distant and honest, gentle, vulnerable, and yet resolute and obviously strong in a way that I have never encountered in fiction before. The stories were poignant, but simply told narratives describing the craziness of the major losses inherent in life, and the messiness of falling in love. Oh, and, of course, given the title, much of the focus was on food, its preparation and role in our lives, and all of that stuff, which we all know I love.
- Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Marakumi -- I ordered this book because it landed at the top of several searches I did on Amazon. I had already read his unique and fragmented Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and I enjoyed it. It was a bit of work to get through, which I expected for this one as well, but it was worth it. Imagine my surprise to find Norwegian Wood to be quite the opposite of Hard-Boiled, and instead a simple, one-man story of collegiate life in the 60's in Tokyo and the loves of his life, how they conflicted, innevitable loss, and the decisions he must make in the wake of such loss. I was struck by how much the voice of the main character had so many of the same qualities as the main female character in Kitchen. Only, at this point, after reading so much about Japan, that respectful distance I recognized in their voices made sense. It was respectful. I liked it. And, I liked Toru, the speaker, despite the fact that I may not like some of the actions he took, because he was so open and unapologetic. He did things even he deplored and then examined them while being open with his rationale. How could I not like him, even love him, despite (or perhaps because of) his honest flaws?
- A Year in Japan, by Kate T. Williamson, I opened this book on the Shinkansen from Nagano back to Tokyo to realize it was an art book. And it wasn't painful, stretching, BT-gets-it-and-loves-it-because-the-tormeneted-artist-beats-you-over-the-emotional-chasm-with-their-ability-to-communicate-in-an-invented-but-understood-language-art. No, it was light, and cheerful, and cute, and understandable sketches from an artist's year of living in Kyoto along with hand-written explanations of the pictures, and lots of detailed drawings of plants. I found the pictures and explanations adorable, the plants reminders of my aspirations of a garden at home upon my return, and the majority of the urban scenes to be excellent reminders of the quirks I experienced in Kyoto and occasionally informative about things I had questioned as I quickly read them on our bullet train out of Kyoto to Nagano. At any other time in my life, had I opened this book, I suspect I would not have been in the correct frame of mind to appreciate its value and I would have skimmed and closed it without a second thought. And yet, somehow, I ordered it, transported it across the oceans, and opened it at the correct time such that I sincerely enjoyed it and couldn't believe my luck and timing. Talk about a blessing!
- Squeamish about Sushi and other food adventures in Japan, by Betty Reynolds -- Unlike a Year in Japan, which I did not know was an arty-book 'til I opened it, this book I purchased with full knowledge. Pictures of food with Japanese words describing it? Sign me up. I made E sit and read it with me a few times before we left. He humored me. I think I will donate it to Miss E's classroom now.
And now, I'm back home. 6 books that I would be proud to include on my booklist as books I read this year in pursuit of my approximately 20 book challenge. 1 travel book as a resource that I can't claim because I didn't read it cover to cover. 2 arty-books I could claim if desperate. I'll wait 'til the end of the year to see if I need to claim the arty-books to hit 20. For now, I'll content myself with the fact that I'm on book 9 without 'em and it's only 4 months in. And, of course, now that I'm back to work, I'll resume my regularly scheduled program of finishing approximately 1 book per month or so.
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