Green Bing.

How to Make a Green Tea Latte

2011-06-12T08:23:00.003-06:00

Green tea lattes are delicious, but they can be a drain on your wallet. With those $4, you could get a manicure for three of your fingers or buy an old bowling trophy from the DI (that's the Good Will for those outside of the U.T.). You could even help some people. What I'm saying is: for $4, I should get an entire burrito or its equivalent.

So, in an effort to save you a little flow, I've written step-by-step instructions on how I make my own version of a green tea latte at home, for a fraction of the cost. I've even added some sweet visuals using Hipstamatic for the iPhone. Let me stop here because this is all getting a little too-cool-for-school, so let's jump right in.

Supplies:

Green tea
(Try the organic version. It doesn't have that pesticide-y aftertaste.)

Milk or your favorite milk-like product
(I use Almond milk because I'm extra special.)

French press, Mug for green tea, Hip and large drinking mug.

Instructions:

Brew one cup of green tea.

Pour green tea into Hip and large drinking mug. (Action shot!)

Heat 1/3 cup of Milk or milk-like product and transfer to French press.

Pump the Milk or milk-like product in the
French press to desired frothiness.

Pour the frothy goodness into Hip and large drinking mug.

Sip and enjoy the extra $4 in your pocket
or consider using it to help someone else.

Oh RubySnap!

2011-05-18T07:46:00.006-06:00

My blog has turned into a bit of a foodie blog. Well, mostly I post recipes that I made up and tried and ended up pretty darn satisfied with myself for creating. One thing I’m not great at, however, is making cookies. I imagine I mess up the cookies the same way I kill my house plants: an affliction my brother likes to call “too much love.” I probably mix the dough too much and since I don’t have a nifty stand-up mixer, the problem persists.

Lucky for me I have people like Tami Cromar in my life to fill the gaping chasm in my baking skills. Tami is a mad scientist in the kitchen, combining flavors you'd never think to pair resulting in—hands down—the best cookie you've ever eaten. Ever. (I'm serious.) She’s also pretty much a marketing genius and the proprietor of Salt Lake City cookie shop, RubySnap.

I followed RubySnap on Twitter one day like I follow a lot of local SLC-based businesses. I happened to be doing this music video for a London-based producer and he wanted to use RubySnap cookies as an incentive to donate to a start-up project of his. He showed Tami the video and she said, “Hey! Isn’t that dualori?!” Surely it was and she decided then and there that I, and, more importantly, my bangs, needed to be captured on film as one of her RubySnap monthly Pin-ups.

Now before you get ahead of yourself, these pin-ups aren’t what you’d think of traditionally as pin-ups. She uses only local-girls and we are all modestly dressed. Her aim is to convey the idea that a woman can be sexy without showing too much skin. So I became the May 2011 Pin-up to usher in the cookie Evia (Ah-vee-ah). Evia is a vanilla cookie with a marzipan center with pears and pine nuts. I think the delightfully wind-swept flavors of the Evia cookie pair beautifully with my aviator-themed photo.

Tami Cromar and I judging a Create Your Own RubySnap Cookie Contest

Tami was even so gracious as to let me host a Tweetup at RubySnap headquarters as a means of unveiling my Pin-up photo that hangs there. My fellow tweeps and I got the chance to make some cookies of our very own creation and, of course, sample all of the cookies that RubySnap has for sale at her downtown store front. We all left with a few new friends and a new stick with which to measure all cookies we encounter in the future.

If you aren’t in Salt Lake City, you can still enjoy the best cookies in the Northern Hemisphere; she ships frozen cookies to any destination in the country. Or, if you’re a local, swing by her shop at 770 South 300 West to sample any cookie you like! (Open Monday thru Saturday from 10am to 6:30pm. Closed Sunday.)

Shop ready-to-bake dough online.

Drool over some cookies.

"Bake-Sale Pie" Cookies

2011-03-02T07:20:00.001-07:00

"Bake-Sale Pie" Cookies

I needed something that would turn some heads at this year's company cookie contest. I saw some "Bake-Sale Pie" cupcakes and decided to modify the recipe for cookies instead. Since I knew I'd be topping these with frosting, jelly beans and M&Ms, I used a cookie that wasn't particularly sweet. (BTW, I won the cookie contest and my cookie was the talk of the water cooler for days to follow!)

Cookie:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups sour cream
5 1/2 cups flour (until desired consistency for rolling)

Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and sour cream. Mix in dry ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight (6-8 hours). Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out dough to a 1/4 to 3/8 inch thickness using a generous amount of flour. Cut out circular shapes and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Frost and decorate as described below.

Frosting and Topping:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
Yellow food coloring
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
M&M's chocolate candies, Jelly Belly jelly beans

In a small bowl, beat together butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy. Tint the frosting with 3 or 4 drops of the yellow food coloring and the cocoa powder to make a light brown for the "piecrust." Spread some of the frosting on top of a cookie, leaving 1/4 inch of the cookie edge exposed. Arrange desired amount of like-colored candies close together on top of the cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies and like-colored candies.

Spoon the remaining light brown frosting into a Ziploc bag, press out the excess air and seal. Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag. For the lattice crust, pipe 4 or 5 lines across the top of a cookie, about 1/2 inches apart. Pipe 4 or 5 more lines, on the diagonal. Pipe a beaded edge around the top of the cookie. Repeat with the remaining cookies and frosting.

I cut some foil cupcake shells and placed the cookie inside so it looked like a little pie tin. Then, I placed the "pies" in a tiny bakery box. ... What can I say? I'm a sucker for details. Apparently, the judges were, too! ;)

Mocha-Kahlua Cheesecake-Brownie Mashup Squares

2010-12-24T09:46:00.001-07:00

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
18 Oreos
1 Tbsp instant coffee granules
1 shot Kahlua (or however much you'd like)
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x5 pyrex baking dish.

Crust

Cover bottom of pan with finely chopped walnuts.
Cut butter into pieces and spread out on top of walnuts.
Bake at 350 for like 15 minutes. Set aside.

Filling

Melt chocolate chips. Set aside.
In a food processor, crush 18 cookies to fine crumbs.
Dissolve instant coffee in the Kahlua.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and crushed Oreos until smooth.
Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended.
Stir in melted chocolate and Kahlua mixture until no streaks remain. It should be pretty thick.
Spoon over walnut crust.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
Let cool and be cool.
ENJOY!

Voila! The best, thickest, richest, bestest ... Well, you get the idea: deliciousness.

DISCLAIMER: I was a little tipsy when I created this. I was attempting to make spiked truffles, actually, and I couldn't get the consistency to work out just right. Basically, there was no way I could roll this mixture into balls no matter the amount of chilling in the fridge. So, I improvised and the result was better than I could've ever imagined!

Poetry: Obituary by Ronald Wallace

2010-10-24T08:20:00.002-06:00

Obituary

by Ronald Wallace

Just once, you say,

you'd like to see
an obituary in which
the deceased didn't succumb
after "a heroic struggle" with cancer,
or heart disease, or Alzheimer's, or
whatever it was
that finally took him down.
Just once, you say,
couldn't the obit read:
He got sick and quit.
He gave up the ghost.
He put up no fight at all.
Rolled over. Bailed out.
Got out while the getting was good.
Excused himself from life's feast.
You're making a joke and
I laugh, though you can't know
I'm considering exactly that:
no radical prostatectomy for me,
no matter what General Practitioner
and Major Oncologist may say.
I think, let that walnut-sized
pipsqueak have its way with me,
that pebble in cancer's slingshot
that brings dim Goliath down.
So, old friend, before I go
and take all the wide world with me,
I want you to know
I picked up the tip.
I skipped the main course,
I'm here in the punch line.
Old friend, the joke's on me.

"Obituary" by Ronald Wallace, from For a Limited Time Only. © University of Pittsburgh Press, 2008. Reprinted with permission from the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

Pumpkin Pasties

2010-10-17T12:05:00.005-06:00

You may have realized from all of my Hogwarts references that I am a big Harry Potter fan. Who isn't? I'm nearly certain that J.K. Rowling sold her soul to the devil to be able to spin a tail so wickedly enchanting. Rowling talks a lot about food in her books because she says that is something that she thrilled in knowing when she read books as a child, (e.g. exactly what was in that sandwich the protagonist was eating? My guess, bologna). One of the foods Harry Potter eats on the Hogwart's Express and at a few Slug Club gatherings is Pumpkin Pasties. It's basically like a pumpkin calzone or a pumpkin fold over. Now I, being slow on the uptake generally and having made pumpkin pie before, wondered just how you get the watery, uncooked pumpkin pie filling IN the dough. Well, you cook it first. I mentioned I was a little slow, right?

Below is the recipe that I used, a derivation of this recipe.

Pumpkin Pasties

2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 C sugar
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1 can evaporated milk (12 Fl. oz.)
9 oz. pie crust pastry (enough for two single standard pie crusts)

To make filling:

Mix eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until well blended.
Stir in pumpkin, salt and spices.
Add evaporated milk and mix well.
Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Keep oven door closed and reduce temperature to moderate (350 degrees) and continue baking for 45 minutes or until table knife inserted in center of dish comes out clean. Cool filling completely on a wire rack.

To assemble pasties:

Roll pie pastry thin and cut into circles approximately 4 inches in diameter.
Put a spoonful of the cool pumpkin mixture towards one side of the center of the circle.
Fold over the crust into a half-circle and firmly crimp the edges closed.
Rub the pastie with a little butter and add a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, if desired.
With a paring knife, cut three small slits in the top for venting.
Place on a greased cookie sheet or a cookie sheet covered in foil.
Cast a protective enchantment over the pasties to keep them from burning: salvio gastronomia!

Bake at 400 degrees until crust is a light golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.

Serve at room temperature. Makes 2 dozen miniature pasties.

Enjoy! Accio Pumpkin Juice!

Zumba, Caipirinha, Baila

2010-10-15T07:21:00.002-06:00


University of Utah Zumba Class

Our challenge was to make a video to the song, Caipirinha, which is actually the name of a Brazilian cocktail. The guidelines stated that you were to choose a location unique to your area.

Location 1: University of Utah George S. Eccles Suspension Bridge

We chose the beautiful University of Utah George S. Eccles Suspension Bridge as our first location for the awesome backdrop of downtown SLC and as a nod to the fact that we are all U of U students, faculty and alumni.

Location 2: Bonneville Salt Flats

We chose the Bonneville Salt Flats because there is no other place like it in the world. Imagine a place so flat you seem to see the curvature of the planet, so barren not even the simplest life forms can exist. This vast dazzling white plain is not an alien world far from earth; it is Utah's famous Bonneville Salt Flats!

To see our fun video, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ka9aSa5TCI

and click "Like" to help us win! ;)

You Are What You Eat

2010-08-19T22:26:00.002-06:00

This post was inspired by Mark Menjivar's project "You Are What You Eat."

From his site: "You Are What You Eat is a series of portraits made by examining the interiors of refrigerators in homes across the United States. These are portraits of the rich and the poor. Vegetarians, Republicans, members of the NRA, those left out, the under appreciated, former soldiers in Hitler’s SS, dreamers, and so much more."

To see some of the images, click here. Then, click Projects > You Are What You Eat > Images.

I've also posted my fridge for your perusal. Enjoy! (NOTE: I need to go grocery shopping.)

Fridge: Baking soda, FAGE yogurt, Kefir, Black beans, Coconut Chicken Curry, eggs, Wheat bread, Hamburger buns, Rice, Bocadilla, Mozzarella, Medium white cheddar, Strawberries, Cantaloupe, Veggie Lasagna, Apples, Zuchinni, Cilantro, Parsley, Romaine, two sad little Beers.

Door: Unsalted butter, Cream cheese, Brie, Tapatio, HOT Bone-Suckin' Sauce, Lemon juice, Jalepeno Mustard, El Guajiro Coffee, Ketchup, Mustard, Pro-biotic pills, Rhubarb Jam, Fish sauce, Hoisan, Tamari sauce, Applesauce, Almond Butter, Mustard, Sauerkraut, Relish, Horseradish.

Summer Loving

2010-08-07T12:50:00.015-06:00

Zion National Park, Utah

I've neglected you, dear readers. I apologize for leaving you without a post for the entire month of July. I had some visitors from out of the country staying with me and, needless to say, we had a blast, but it did take up quite a bit of blogging time. I also went on vacation to Southern Utah, "The Hottest Snow on Earth." (I can't believe they choose THAT as their motto. It almost doesn't make sense.)

In other news, today is my ten-year high school reunion. (Go Cardinals!) I can't really complain about high school, after all I was a Student Body Officer and Homecoming Queen and Captain of the dance team. At the time, I never considered myself popular, but when you look at titles like those, it makes it seem like I was. I like to think that I was nice in high school, but from watching Veronica Mars, we all know that you can't be both. I was also voted biggest heart-breaker by the rest of the graduating class, so maybe I wasn't so nice to the boys.

Even then, though, I believed in an adulterated form of Karma. You know, what goes around comes around. I decided that if I was nice to others, I could stack the deck and make good things happen to me. Now, however, I do good things because I believe I am a good person, not because I want good things to happen to me. The difference seems slight, but I think it is the biggest difference in the world. Does that mean that when people walk by I don't mentally note how ugly their gladiator sandals are? No, it does not. I am very far from perfect. But if it came down to a choice between perfect and good, I would choose good every time.

Poetry: Directions by Connie Wanek

2010-06-12T08:39:00.002-06:00

Directions

by Connie Wanek

First you'll come to the end of the freeway.
Then it's not so much north on Woodland Avenue
as it is a feeling that the pines are taller and weigh more,
and the road, you'll notice,
is older with faded lines and unmown shoulders.
You'll see a cemetery on your right
and another later on your left.
Sobered, drive on.
Drive on for miles
if the fields are full of hawkweed and daises.
Sometimes a spotted horse
will gallop along the fence. Sometimes you'll see
a hawk circling, sometimes a vulture.
You'll cross the river many times
over smaller and smaller bridges.
You'll know when you're close;
people always say they have a sudden sensation
that the horizon, which was always far ahead,
is now directly behind them.
At this point you may want to park
and proceed on foot, or even
on your knees.

"Directions" by Connie Wanek, from On Speaking Terms. © Copper Canyon Press, 2010. Reprinted with permission. (buy now) From the Writer's Almanac.

Tomato Bruschetta Folie à Deux

2010-06-02T19:25:00.005-06:00

Want a super easy appetizer that's très chic and delicious to boot? Look no further! I bought a Basil plant from Whole Foods and thought this recipe would be a good way to utilize my newest (and first) herb acquisition.

If you are familiar with the phrase folie à deux, you will know that this recipe makes enough for two, but, if you were so inclined, you could use a bigger loaf and just up the tomatoes and oil. My husband thinks this is my chef d'œuvre and can almost eat an entire batch, but do try to save a little room for the main course. Bon appétit!

Tomato Bruschetta Folie à Deux

Ingredients

2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1/8 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 demi French baguette (sliced into 3/4-inch thick pieces)
sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven on broiler setting.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, sea salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.

On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Brush with olive oil. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown.

Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices and top with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Folie à deux means "craziness for two!"

Vegan Blueberry Brownies

2010-05-30T09:36:00.001-06:00

The husband thinks this is a bit of a misnomer, but mostly because he thinks all brownies must be fudgy and cake-like brownies are actually ... cake. I'd like to call this recipe, Super Antioxidant Guilt-free Blueberry Cake/Torte Brownie Delight, but it's a bit wordy.

While I'm not sure what to call these, they are delicious and they are full of awesome, non-guilt-inducing ingredients. Huzzah!

Here is the recipe:

Vegan Blueberry Brownies

1 cup organic applesauce (just apples, no added sugar or extra junk in there)
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (I ran out, so I didn't use this, but it might give a good base flavor)
1 cup organic whole wheat flour (original recipe called for white flour, too, but I just doubled the wheat flour instead)
1/3 cup Ghiardelli natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (didn't add these, but you could)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Grease pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8-inch square baking pan. (used a slightly smaller pan)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine applesauce, sugar, and vanilla.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, and salt. Make a well in the center and add wet ingredients; mix until just combined. (At this point I had a clump of dense and not completely moist dough. To remedy this, I added a sprinkle of water over the frozen blueberries and when I added them, it was just enough to moisten the dough bowling ball I had made into a thick batter.)

Gently fold in walnuts and blueberries. Spread mixture into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and not sticky. (I used the knife test; you know, stick a knife in and make sure it comes out clean. It took closer to 40 minutes for my batch.)

Let cool completely before slicing. (This is very important. They tasted MUCH better after a bit of waiting.)

Makes 16 brownies. (My batch made 12.)

Find the original recipe here.

Welcome to Arizona

2010-05-07T11:40:00.000-06:00

*sigh*

Chemicals and Cancer

2010-05-07T09:18:00.004-06:00

I don't usually like to post an entire article on my blog from someplace else, but this is so important that I've posted most of the article below. You can read the original article from the NYTimes in its entirety, however, by clicking here.

New Alarm Bells About Chemicals and Cancer

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Published: May 5, 2010

The President’s Cancer Panel is the Mount Everest of the medical mainstream, so it is astonishing to learn that it is poised to join ranks with the organic food movement and declare: chemicals threaten our bodies.

The cancer panel is releasing a landmark 200-page report on Thursday, warning that our lackadaisical approach to regulation may have far-reaching consequences for our health.

I’ve read an advance copy of the report, and it’s an extraordinary document. It calls on America to rethink the way we confront cancer, including much more rigorous regulation of chemicals.

Traditionally, we reduce cancer risks through regular doctor visits, self-examinations and screenings such as mammograms. The President’s Cancer Panel suggests other eye-opening steps as well, such as giving preference to organic food, checking radon levels in the home and microwaving food in glass containers rather than plastic.

In particular, the report warns about exposures to chemicals during pregnancy, when risk of damage seems to be greatest. Noting that 300 contaminants have been detected in umbilical cord blood of newborn babies, the study warns that: “to a disturbing extent, babies are born ‘pre-polluted.’ ”

“We wanted to let people know that we’re concerned, and that they should be concerned,” Professor Leffall told me.

The report blames weak laws, lax enforcement and fragmented authority, as well as the existing regulatory presumption that chemicals are safe unless strong evidence emerges to the contrary.

The food industry has already been fighting legislation in the Senate backed by Dianne Feinstein of California that would ban bisphenol-A, commonly found in plastics and better known as BPA, from food and beverage containers.
Studies of BPA have raised alarm bells for decades, and the evidence is still complex and open to debate. That’s life: In the real world, regulatory decisions usually must be made with ambiguous and conflicting data. The panel’s point is that we should be prudent in such situations, rather than recklessly approving chemicals of uncertain effect.

Some 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, and they include Democrats and Republicans alike. Protecting ourselves and our children from toxins should be an effort that both parties can get behind — if enough members of Congress are willing to put the public interest ahead of corporate interests.

One reason for concern is that some cancers are becoming more common, particularly in children. We don’t know why that is, but the proliferation of chemicals in water, foods, air and household products is widely suspected as a factor. To help people manage the uncertainty prudently, the report has a section of recommendations for individuals:

Particularly when pregnant and when children are small, choose foods, toys and garden products with fewer endocrine disruptors or other toxins. (Information about products is at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com or www.healthystuff.org.)
For those whose jobs may expose them to chemicals, remove shoes when entering the house and wash work clothes separately from the rest of the laundry.
Filter drinking water.
Store water in glass or stainless steel containers, or in plastics that don’t contain BPA or phthalates (chemicals used to soften plastics). Microwave food in ceramic or glass containers.
Give preference to food grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers and growth hormones. Avoid meats that are cooked well-done.
Check radon levels in your home. Radon is a natural source of radiation linked to cancer.

Banned Books

2010-05-05T06:07:00.001-06:00

I thought I would share this infographic with you of the Most Targeted Books. The only book I hadn't heard of is The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I guess I'll have to pick it up.

Read the article from GOOD: The Most Controversial Books in America .

Poetry: Blackbirds by Julie Cadwallader Staub

2010-05-01T15:48:00.002-06:00

Blackbirds

by Julie Cadwallader Staub

I am 52 years old, and have spent
truly the better part
of my life out-of-doors
but yesterday I heard a new sound above my head
a rustling, ruffling quietness in the spring air

and when I turned my face upward
I saw a flock of blackbirds
rounding a curve I didn't know was there
and the sound was simply all those wings
just feathers against air, against gravity
and such a beautiful winning
the whole flock taking a long, wide turn
as if of one body and one mind.

How do they do that?

Oh if we lived only in human society
with its cruelty and fear
its apathy and exhaustion
what a puny existence that would be

but instead we live and move and have our being
here, in this curving and soaring world
so that when, every now and then, mercy and tenderness triumph in our lives
and when, even more rarely, we manage to unite and move together
toward a common good,

and can think to ourselves:

ah yes, this is how it's meant to be.

"Blackbirds" by Julie Cadwallader-Staub. © Julie Cadwallader-Staub. From the Writer's Almanac.

Meatless Mondays

2010-04-26T07:00:00.007-06:00

From the GOOD website: The idea behind Meatless Mondays is as simple as the moniker—skip meat one day a week to improve your overall health and reduce your risk of chronic, preventable disease. Meat contains high levels of saturated fat, one of the reasons why too much meat can lead to poor health. By making Mondays meatless, you can cut your saturated fat intake by up to 15 percent—a big difference for such a small change.

Read the article by Tami ONeill in its entirety here: http://www.good.is/post/why-mondays-should-be-meatless/

Getting Truth's Pants On

2010-04-20T12:01:00.000-06:00

I don't know what your stance is on a woman's right to choose, but one thing that I think we can all agree on is that information provided to pregnant women in reproductive health clinics should be medically accurate. Nothing makes me more angry than the spreading of misinformation. Read the full story below.

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on. -Winston Churchill

Fake Pregnancy Clinics

The debate between pro-choice and pro-life groups is one of the most divisive in politics. But one thing that everyone should be able to agree on is that information provided to pregnant women in reproductive health clinics should be medically accurate.

However, a new investigative video reveals a disturbing trend of fake family planning clinics around the country, called Crisis Pregnancy Centers, which advertise themselves as providing "abortion services" only to give false medical information to women in order to pressure them not to have an abortion.

This deception was initially documented in a Congressional report which found that 87 percent of the 3,500 Crisis Pregnancy Centers nationwide misinform women about birth control and reproductive rights. This includes telling women that abortion will dramatically increase their risk of breast cancer, could impact their future fertility, and may cause them severe mental health problems — all statements that have been discredited by major medical and scientific bodies.

There is also documentation of the use of an alarming tactic of telling pregnant women considering an abortion that they're not actually pregnant, hoping that by the time these women realize they are, it will be too late for them to access an abortion.

Fortunately, local communities are starting to fight back. This past week, the city of Austin, Texas voted into law a measure that will require Crisis Pregnancy Centers to post signs stating that they do not provide information on abortion or comprehensive birth control. And other cities are passing similar truth-in-advertising measures.

But we can't stop there. Shockingly, many of these fake clinics receive millions of dollars a year in government funding under the pretense of providing "family planning services," and there is now a movement in Congress to remove their federal funding and stop their deceptive advertising practices. You can join the movement to fight the misinformation here.

Fictionist at Graywhale for Record Store Day 2010

2010-04-18T16:10:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Record Store Day, so I swung by Graywhale, which is walking distance from my place (rad) and I saw Fictionist perform (also pretty rad).

U of U Graywhale hosted performances by Fictionist, Paterstats, IH86335, Sonic Massacre, Joshua Payne Orchestra, Jamie's Elsewhere, Vibrant Sound, NightNight, Guides & Braves. Graywhale was rockin, so I expect the state of the record store is strong.

From RecordStoreDay.com: A BIG THANK YOU to all the stores, customers, fans, sponsors, supporters, labels, distributors, friends and everyone else: Record Store Day 2010 was a blast. We are collecting photos, video and stories and can’t wait to share them with you. And don’t think we’re going anywhere: your local indie store is open all year, and so are we. The world of the record store is strong and exciting, check back here to be a part of it all year long.

April Two Party Update

2010-04-04T12:28:00.009-06:00

Thank you friends and family for coming to celebrate with us on April Two! I just wanted to give those who couldn't attend a recap of the night's festivities, in the hopes that next April Two you'll be able to attend!

We kicked the night off right with a performance by Kole Christensen. Kole rocked the house and gave an amazing performance. She sang two of my favorites: "That's Why I Hate You" and "Here's to You," which has a pretty provocative refrain. To listen to those songs and more great music, go to kolemusic.com and click Music. The video below "Let's Fly" isn't from April Two, but I think it has better acoustics so Kole's vocal talent and songwriting skills really shine.

(And, not to go on and on like I have a girl crush, but Kole is probably one of the most beautiful people I've met, it's no wonder that she was Miss Teen Utah a few years ago.)

Happy Clown made quite a few balloon animals and balloon hats. Here he is on the left with the coveted octopus balloon hat. Many people asked Happy Clown to make "naughty" balloon shapes and hats, but Happy Clown, being of a noble clown heritage would not oblige and instead made many dogs, mice, giraffes and even a kangaroo roadkill balloon. Talk about talent!

Heather Nan Parkinson of Heather Nan Photography took some fun-filled pics of party goers with Sad Clown. She also took the picture of JD, Melinda and I at the top of this page with the promise of even more great pics to follow.

To view your picture with Sad Clown and the rest of the April Two photos, go to Heather Nan Photography, click the Clients link and enter the password apriltwo.

Four lucky party goers tried their hand (blindfolded) at our Pin the Horn on the Unicorn game. The unicorn inspired by Charlie the Unicorn made famous from this YouTube video.

"Charlie? Charlie? Wake up you silly sleepyhead!"

(For more photos of April Two, click here.)

Many of you entered our April Two raffle for some pretty fabulous prizes. We gave away a Mustache of the Day kit, Handerpants (underwear for your hands), a Ferrari (Hot Wheels edition), Mini Etch-a-Sketches (which Melinda helpfully pointed out could also be used as coasters), three pairs of tickets to some awesome shows including Spoon (love them) and an iPod nano. All for a dollar a chance was a pretty great deal! It turned out that the people who bought the most chances, really did win.

We definitely had a wonderful time and together, because of your contributions, we raised... *drum roll please* ... $613 for Charity:Water just last night! If you add that to the totals from the mycharitywater.org/apriltwo site ($1245 + $75 in employer matching) we raised $1933, blasting past our goal of $1500!

$1933 can give 96 people clean water for 20 years. Water will change everything or these people. Disease will dramatically be reduced. Children will be able to go to school and get an education. Men and women will be able to dedicate more time to their jobs, increasing productivity and lowering the poverty level.

But it's not over yet. I went ahead and raised the goal to $2000. If you didn't have the chance to donate, please donate now at mycharitywater.org/apriltwo. We'll only have the page up for one more week, so please don't miss your chance to help others.

Until next year. Wait! There's a next year? Well ... maybe ;)

THANK YOU!

April Two Birthday Bash for Charity:Water

2010-03-29T13:17:00.006-06:00

When Melinda, JD and I discovered that we were all born on the same day, we decided to use our shared birthdays for good. We decided to throw a triple birthday celebration to raise money for charity:water, a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

In lieu of gifts, we are asking for you to help support charity:water. There will be many opportunities to donate at the party, but you can also visit http://mycharitywater.org/apriltwo to donate now.

Bring some cash so you can get your picture taken with Sad Clown, get a balloon hat from Happy Clown and win the auction to take the first swing at Piñatacorn! Enjoy appetizers, cupcakes and LIVE Music.

Details …
What: April Two Birthday Bash for Melinda, JD, and Michelle
Where: Fat's Grill & Pool, 2182 Highland Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84106
When: April 2nd, 2010, 7pm - 11pm

PARTY at Fat’s Grill

FOOD: We'll provide a few finger foods and birthday cupcakes, but the entire Fat's Grill menu is also available to you, if you would like to purchase dinner.

DRINKS: The downstairs area at Fat's boasts a full bar where you should be able to order any drink you can name, including soda.

KIDS: To those of you with children, Fat's Grill doesn't admit anyone under 21 years of age after 7pm. We recommend that you call a sitter and enjoy a night out on the town! You deserve it.

PHOTOGRAPHY by Heather Nan

We will be having Heather Nan photograph the event. She'll also be taking photos of YOU with Sad Clown for $1! You can view her amazing portfolio at http://heathernanphoto.com/.

MUSIC by Kole Christensen

We are pleased to add Nicole “Kole” Christensen to the April Two festivities. Kole was a featured performer at Ignite Salt Lake and we are really excited for her to share her musical talent with us on April Two. Be sure to check her out on the web at KoleMusic.com

Ways to Give at the April Two Party …

Buy the wares of Happy Clown and Sad Clown–Sad Clown is pretty depressed. He doesn’t like much and he especially doesn’t like parties. His only likes … alcohol. Make him feel better by getting your picture taken with him. It’s only $1 and he’ll feel much better once all of his loot from pictures with our fine guests is donated to charity:water!

Happy Clown, on the other hand, is very happy and under that big red nose is a heart of gold. Buy a balloon animal or balloon hat from him for a donation of a $1 or more and he’ll give all his earnings to charity:water, too!

Bid on the first swing at Piñatacorn–This is no ordinary piñata. It is a unicorn/piñata crossbreed that can only be found in the Blue Mountains of Middle Earth and whose descendents populate the inner most reaches of the Forbidden Forest. It is said to be filled with magical wonders and …er, candy.

Enter the April Two Raffle–We’ll also be having an April Two raffle for a wonderful prize.

Visit mycharitywater.org/apriltwo–You can always visit our April Two charity:water site where you can donate in someone’s name or donate anonymously, if you like. You can donate any amount and 100% of public donations directly fund water projects. Even $20 helps to bring clean water to a person in need for 25 years!

We can't wait to see you on April Two!

Twitter:
search #apriltwo
or follow
@Melindir
@jdnorton
@dualori

UPDATE: April Two's come and gone, but you can read about all the fun here.

Poetry: Happy the Man by Horace

2010-03-06T08:14:00.002-07:00

Happy the Man

by Horace

Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He who can call today his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.
Be fair or foul or rain or shine
The joys I have possessed, in spite or fate, are mine.
Not Heaven itself upon the past has power,
But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.

"Happy the Man" by Horace, from Odes, Book III, xxix. Translation by John Dryden. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger

2010-02-21T00:16:00.001-07:00

OMG, Franny, you are SO melodramatic!

"Let's just try to have a marvelous time this weekend. I mean not try to analyze everything to death for once, if possible. Especially me. I love you."
"I'm just so sick of pedants and conceited little tearer-downers I could scream."
"Maybe there's a trapdoor under my chair, and I'll just disappear."
"I feel so funny. I think I'm going crazy. Maybe I'm already crazy."
- J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey

Poetry: POSTMANTERRORISM by Nick Lantz

2010-02-16T08:48:00.006-07:00

POSTMANTERRORISM

by Nick Lantz

Would it make a difference to say we suffered

from affluenza in those days? Could we blame
Reaganomics, advertainment, the turducken
and televangelism we swallowed by the sporkful,
all that brunch and Jazzercise, Frappuccinos
we guzzled on the Seatac tarmac, sexcellent
celebutantes we ogled with camcorders while
our imagineers simulcast the administrivia
of our alarmaggedon across the glocal village?
Would it help to say that we misunderestimated
the effects of Frankenfood and mutagenic smog
to speculate that amid all our infornography
and anticipointment, some crisitunity slumbered
unnoticed in a roadside motel? Does it count
for nothing that we are now willing to admit
that the animatronic monster slouching across
the soundstage of our tragicomic docusoap
was only a distraction? Because now, for all our
gerrymandering, the anecdata won't line up for us.
When we saw those contrails cleaving the sky
above us, we couldn't make out their beginning
or their end. What, in those long hours of ash,
could our appletinis tell us of good or of evil?

"POSTMANTERRORISM" by Nick Lantz, from The Lightning That Strikes the Neighbors' House. © The University of Wisconsin Press, 2010. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

Happy Valentine's Day from dualori

2010-02-14T09:56:00.001-07:00

Today is Valentine's Day, the day on which we celebrate love, especially romantic love. The holiday was named after an early Christian priest, St. Valentine, who was martyred on February 14 in 269 A.D.

The tradition of exchanging love notes on Valentine's Day originates from the martyr Valentine himself. The legend maintains that due to a shortage of enlistments, Emperor Claudius II forbade single men to get married in an effort to bolster his struggling army. Seeing this act as a grave injustice, Valentine performed clandestine wedding rituals in defiance of the emperor. Valentine was discovered, imprisoned, and sentenced to death by beheading. While awaiting his fate in his cell, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with the daughter of a prison guard, who would come and visit him. On the day of his death, Valentine left a note for the young woman professing his undying devotion signed "Love from your Valentine."

From the Writer's Almanac.

Bowerbirds: In Our Talons

2010-02-02T06:54:00.001-07:00

If you have any remains of your Automatic Awesomeness Detector left from before the days of lolcats and that stupid vampire book series, you will love this video.

Wednesdays are YouTube/Viral Video Wednesdays, instead of regular Wednesdays.

Happy Travels

2010-01-31T16:22:00.001-07:00

Grandpa often reminded you that he had traveled around the world.

And it is true that his adventures and the Second World War took him across the world on a boat as far as India.

When asked how long he wanted to live, he said that since he had made it this far, he might as well live to be 100.

Sadly, his body couldn't fulfill his heart's wish and he died yesterday after living robustly for 99 years and 9 months.

I do hope it's true that "to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

Happy travels, Grandpa.

Pilates Instructor Perfection: Class 3 of 30

2010-01-30T17:42:00.003-07:00

An important factor in finding the right Pilates class for you is the instructor. I’ve been to many Pilates classes, both mat and reformer, and the instructor makes all the difference in the world to me. From my experience, there are generally two types of Pilates instructors: the Personal Trainer and the Pilates Purest.

The Personal Trainer

If the instructor trains with a personal trainer perspective, they will move through the exercises quickly and say things like, “Doesn’t that burn feel so good?!” They are trying to increase your heart rate and burn more calories per class. You might find this type of instructor at your local 24-Hour Fitness club or their ilk. The classes are usually included in your monthly fee—thrifty!

The Pilates Purest

If the instructor comes from strict Pilates background, they will move through the exercises by name, offer several modifications (Pilates-speak for beginner, intermediate, and advanced) and remind you that what’s most important—more important than how high your leg can go or how deep you can stretch—is your form. You might find this type of instructor at your local Pilates studio. The classes are usually $12-$15 a session or a bit less if you buy a punch card—spendy!

I’ve had many different types of instructors, including type 1 and type 2, but I’ve also had the Ballet Nazi, the Yoga Crossover and Pilates Professor Perfection.

The Ballet Nazi

She’s a classically trained ballet dancer. She’s flexible and she is all about how far you can go. Fit your leg behind your head? Brilliant! Kick your ear with your knee? Brilliant! Usually, when you are performing these amazing stunts, you’ve lost a lot of your form, which is pretty much the entire reason for doing Pilates. If you find yourself in the Ballet Nazi’s class, I would recommend finding another instructor.

The Yoga Crossover

You find yourself in downward-facing dog or holding poses and end the class with a gentle “Namaste.” This is probably Yogalates parading as Pilates. There is no real problem with this, as long as you are cool with it.

Pilates Instructor Perfection

The class I am taking now is what I consider to be Pilates Perfection. The instructor? Perfection incarnate. She’s not there to perform Pilates for you, she is there to guide you through the exercises by name, to insure that you remain injury-free, and to keep you challenged. She offers modifications for different skill levels and focuses on form. She turns the lights down so that it is easy to focus on feeling your form/body and she ends class with a 5-minute meditation, which is optional. I love, love, love my current Pilates instructor!

If you have questions or any else you might want to add, please add them to the comments.

-dualori

Gobbledegook, Poppycock, Whimsy and Spam

2010-01-28T19:55:00.005-07:00

Julius Comroe said, "Serendipity is looking in a haystack for a needle and discovering a farmer's daughter."

From the Writer’s Almanac for January 28: It was on this day in 1754 that the word "serendipity" was first coined. It's defined by Merriam-Webster as "the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for." It was recently listed by a U.K. translation company as one of the English language's 10 most difficult words to translate. Other words to make their list include plenipotentiary, gobbledegook, poppycock, whimsy, spam, and kitsch.

The invention of many wonderful things have been attributed to "serendipity," including Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Charles Goodyear's vulcanization of rubber, inkjet printers, Silly Putty, the Slinky, and chocolate chip cookies.
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin after he left for vacation without disinfecting some of his petri dishes filled with bacteria cultures; when he got back to his lab, he found that the penicillium mold had killed the bacteria.
Viagra had been developed to treat hypertension and angina pectoris; it didn't do such a good job at these things, researchers found during the first phase of clinical trials, but it was good for something else.
The principles of radioactivity, X-rays, and infrared radiation were all found when researchers were looking for something else.

I remember learning the phenomenon of serendipity for the first time. It was used by one of my professors in a Modern Dance class to describe movement using improvisation instead of choreography. “The result,” she said, “could be serendipitous.” Then, like when you learn any new word, it started crawling out of the woodwork. It was in every newspaper, magazine, textbook, radio broadcast; it followed me like a shadow.

Regardless of its abundance, however, I thought of the term fondly until my English professor told us that some terms come in and out of fashion like the latest cut of boot. I was scandalized. A word I see everywhere, not to mention one that is so fun to say, was just another version of the latest kitsch. Since this revelation, I’ve decided to choose my words like I choose my boots: classics for everyday and the latest styles for the occasional night on the town.

Impostors are Abundant

2010-01-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

Poetry: The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

2010-01-25T07:18:00.004-07:00

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. Public domain. From the Writer's Almanac.

It's a Major Award!

2010-01-23T18:50:00.002-07:00

My current feelings can be summed up by the character Mr. Parker in the holiday classic, A Christmas Story:

Mr. Parker: It's a Major Award!
Swede: Shucks, I wouldn't know that. It looks like a lamp.
Mr. Parker: What is a lamp, you nincompoop? It's a Major Award. I won it!
Swede: Damn, hell, you say won it?
Mr. Parker: Yeah, mind power, Swede; mind power.

From Kimberly Pauley, webmistress of the site Young Adult Book Central:

Okay, remember that contest I had for a new YABC logo? Well, we've chosen one...and the winner is...

Created by @dualori on Twitter! Congrats! You won the box of books! It's simple, colorful, and fits well within the existing boundaries of where the logo goes on the site. :-) Everyone can check it out in action at www.yabookscentral.com.

That's right, friends, I won a box of books! I created this logo with simplicity in mind (think Apple). I chose bright colors that could be used or were already being used in other parts of the YABC Web site, thinking this would increase the ability to tie the logo in with other design features of the site. I also chose to keep the design portion from intersecting with the wording, so the two pieces could be used separately if space limitations became an issue for branding other pieces or if Kimberly was so inclined.

Kimberly told me she and her husband chose the design together, so a big thanks to them both! In addition to running the YABC Web site and blog, Kimberly Pauley is also the author of Sucks to be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe), so check it out and support YA Lit.

-dualori

Thirty Classes of Pilates

2010-01-18T14:16:00.006-07:00

Of Pilates, they say …

In 10 sessions you will feel the difference.
In 20 sessions you will see the difference.
And in 30 sessions you will have a brand new body.

The mind, when housed within a healthful body, possesses a glorious sense of power.

Moreover, such a body freed from nervous tension and over-fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well-balanced mind that is always fully capable of successfully meeting all of the complex problems of modern living.

With body, mind, and spirit functioning perfectly as a coordinated whole, what else could reasonably be expected other than an active, alert, disciplined person. -- Joseph Pilates

This week I begin my first set of "30 Classes of Pilates." It will be my personal challenge to complete 30 classes of Pilates to see if I do, indeed, feel and see a difference. I have taken my fair share of Pilates classes (I am a trained dancer), but I've never really payed much attention before to the changes I have or have not seen. So, in my series "30 Classes of Pilates," I'll be sure to give you the skinny on this famous Pilates saying and share any insights I may have along the way.

Wish me luck!

-dualori

What Friends Are For Dress

2010-01-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

Things I Love

I love this plaid dress! The story that goes along with it is pretty cute, too. I love ModCloth!

"Growing up, when it came to style, no one outdid my friend Susie. In elementary school, while I dabbled with gawky, outrageous patterns inspired by Claudia from the Babysitter's Club, Susie wore lively, coordinated jumpers. By high school, she'd honed her style to a point where all the girls envied her polished look. One summer, while on break from college, we met up for a night out. In the overbearing humidity, she looked completely, effortlessly comfortable and stylish in light wash jeans and a draped, plaid shirt. When I complimented her summery, strapless top, she said, "Thanks! It's actually a skirt." Of course, I thought. Finally, I'd figured out my style secret - just copy Susie! I found my own loose-fitting, plaid skirt, pulled it over my bust and styled it with a strategic knot at the waist. However, it didn't drape across my body quite right. Once again, I'd been foiled. Years later, I couldn't help but be reminded of my fashion faux pas of the past when this multi-plaid, strapless dress fell on my desk. With its pin-tucked, sweetheart bustline and cheerful plaid of sky blue, raspberry, cream, grass, and slate blue, this dress exceeds my, Susie, and any other fashionista's style standards. Finally, I will be able to repent for all those awkward outfits I assembled by donning this grown-up, sophisticated version of that makeshift, plaid shirt. Boasting a hidden back zipper, full lining, flared pleated skirt, empire waist, and light organza border that peeks out at the hem, I know that like my friendship with Susie, I'll be able to count on this dress through the good times and the bad. When I wear this dress, I'll have no choice but to 'keep smilin' and keep shinin'. That is, after all, what good style (and good friends) are for." -Sarah, Fashion Writer, ModCloth

What Friends Are For Dress $62.99

One Minute and Seventeen Seconds Before Midnight

2010-01-13T19:09:00.001-07:00

"If you imagine the 4,500-billion-odd years of Earth's history compressed into a normal earthly day, then life begins very early, about 4 A.M., with the rise of the first simple, single-celled organisms, but then advances no further for the next sixteen hours.

"Not until almost 8:30 in the evening, with the day five-sixths over, has Earth anything to show the universe but a restless skin of microbes. Then, finally, the first sea plants appear, followed twenty minutes later by the first jellyfish and the enigmatic Ediacaran fauna first seen by Reginald Sprigg in Australia. At 9:04 P.M. trilobites swim onto the scene, followed more or less immediately by the shapely creatures of the Burgess Shale. Just before 10 P.M. plants begin to pop up on the land. Soon after, with less than two hours left in the day, the first land creatures follow.

"Thanks to ten minutes or so of balmy weather, by 10:24 P.M. the Earth is covered in the great carboniferous forests whose residues give us all our coal, and the first winged insects are evident. Dinosaurs plod onto the scene just before 11 P.M. and hold sway for about three-quarters of an hour. At twenty-one minutes to midnight they vanish and the age of mammals begins.

"Humans emerge one minute and seventeen seconds before midnight. The whole of our recorded history, on this scale, would be no more than a few seconds, a single human lifetime barely an instant."

— Bill Bryson (A Short History of Nearly Everything)

Stolen: Ability for Fun Bike Excursions

2010-01-09T08:13:00.006-07:00

Someone stole my mountain bike. They stole my husband's mountain bike, too.

They broke into the underground parking. Broke the lock on the bicycle storage where approximately 20 other bikes are stored.

Then, they cut the cable lock that held both my bike and my husband's.

Then, they did the same to two other bikes. Then, they took off.

I've hired The Punisher to avenge me.

I'll let you know how it works out.

Here's a pic of me and my bike in Moab, Southern Utah. In happier times.

Please comment about how Karma will get them in the end.

And/or ways the Punisher will deal with them.

Writer's New Year's Resolutions

2009-12-31T06:34:00.004-07:00

Inside the List By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER

Published: December 24, 2009

PROMISES, PROMISES: I asked a bunch of writers who had best sellers in 2009 if they had made any reading-related New Year’s resolutions. Some were willing to recklessly commit to new courses of literary action — but only after I promised not to do a follow-up report next year.

Jennifer Weiner (“Best Friends Forever”) promises to be nicer to Russians: “I will read ‘Anna Karenina’ and stop using Gary Shteyngart’s last name as a curse word. I will not cyberstalk Katherine Dunn or Tabitha King in hopes of convincing them to publish new novels and will instead confine myself to the occasional plaintive blog post.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Poetry: The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog by Alicia Suskin Ostriker

2009-12-27T08:38:00.005-07:00

The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog

by Alicia Suskin Ostriker

To be blessed

said the old woman
is to live and work
so hard
God's love
washes right through you
like milk through a cow

To be blessed
said the dark red tulip
is to knock their eyes out
with the slug of lust
implied by
your up-ended
skirt

To be blessed
said the dog
is to have a pinch
of God
inside you
and all the other dogs
can smell it

"The Blessing of the Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog" by Alicia Suskin Ostriker, from The Book of Seventy. © University of Pittsburgh Press, 2009. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

My Favorite Carol

2009-12-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

"The tree of life my soul hath seen, laden with fruit and always green."

Poetry: Going to Bed by George Bilgere

2009-12-24T06:27:00.004-07:00

Going to Bed

by George Bilgere

I check the locks on the front door

               and the side door,
make sure the windows are closed
               and the heat dialed down.
I switch off the computer,
               turn off the living room lights.

I let in the cats.

               Reverently, I unplug the Christmas tree,
leaving Christ and the little animals
               in the dark.

The last thing I do
               is step out to the back yard
for a quick look at the Milky Way.

               The stars are halogen-blue.
The constellations, whose names
               I have long since forgotten,
look down anonymously,
               and the whole galaxy
is cartwheeling in silence through the night.

               Everything seems to be ok.

"Going to Bed" by George Bilgere, from Haywire. © Utah State University Press, 2006. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

A More Meaningful Christmas

2009-12-23T06:17:00.001-07:00

"Consumerism does not equal Happiness."

Wednesdays are YouTube/Viral Video Wednesdays, instead of regular Wednesdays.

Donate what you can at http://www.mycharitywater.org/oscar

Every drop counts.

Congratulations! It's a ... Fruitcake!

2009-12-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

We welcomed our sticky bundle of joy into the world at 9:35pm.

Weight: 4 pounds 3 ounces

Length: 9 3/4 inches

He's terribly sweet! We fell in love the moment we saw him.

xoxo

The Proud Makers

More on how we made it later. ;)

Next Year's Ambition

2009-12-21T18:32:00.006-07:00

Next year's ambition is to drink enough wine to make this wreath.

Learn how you can make one at Alexandra's Kitchen.

Poetry: The Loneliest Job in the World by Tony Hoagland

2009-12-21T06:33:00.009-07:00

The Loneliest Job in the World

by Tony Hoagland

As soon as you begin to ask the question, Who loves me?,

you are completely screwed, because
the next question is How Much?,

and then it is hundreds of hours later,
and you are still hunched over
your flowcharts and abacus,

trying to decide if you have gotten enough.
This is the loneliest job in the world:
to be an accountant of the heart.

It is late at night. You are by yourself,
and all around you, you can hear
the sounds of people moving

in and out of love,
pushing the turnstiles, putting
their coins in the slots,

paying the price which is asked,
which constantly changes.
No one knows why.

"The Loneliest Job in the World" by Tony Hoagland, from Unincorporated Persons in the Late Honda Dynasty. © Graywolf Press, 2010. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

Holiday Giveaway from dualori

2009-12-19T14:48:00.028-07:00

Tis the Season to Give Away my Husband's Stuff for Charity. This is the subject line of the email that I sent out every day for a week to my entire company. And it was true, I sold something that belonged to my husband Oscar each day for a week and all the proceeds went to charity (more about that later). However, my wonderful coworkers~~, apparent lovers of all things mere days away from going to the Good Will,~~ jumped to some mildly embarrassing conclusions while perusing my wares (okay, technically, Oscar's wares).

For a frame of reference, the peddling began two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, we were all shoulder deep in horrific headline puns that read: He's not outta the Woods yet, and Tiger admits: I'm a Cheetah. So maybe it was just timing, but one of the assumptions that people made was that my husband ... "went Tiger on me" and I, vindictive maven of vengeance, was selling all of the dirty-rotten cheater's stuff. Yes, you are reading that correctly: "went Tiger" is now a euphemism for cheating, running around on, and schtupping the secretary.

People even gave me advice: sell all of your stuff to a friend for a dollar and then give him his half, i.e. fifty cents. "It's what he deserves!" they cried. Uh ... got it. Thank you for your concern, random guy from the IT department.

What they didn't know, however, was that it was all a ploy devised by Oscar and me. YES! a cheap marketing stunt devised to gain attention and water-cooler currency. *evil laugh* And it worked! I sold something each day for a week and made over $130 for our charity of choice: charity : water.

Left: An example of the message I used to spam my office.

A little bit about charity : water. Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. That’s one in eight of us. charity: water is a non-profit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

100% of public donations directly fund water projects.

Drilling a well can cost from $4,000 - $ 12,000 and many living on less than $1 a day can not afford one in their community, even if the money is combined. With the help of exemplary organizations on the ground, we can drill wells and provide people with this basic, essential need.

While I made some good money selling my husband's stuff, I didn't earn enough to make a real dent in the cost of a well: $5,000. This is why I am appealing to you, fine reader, in the form of a GIVEAWAY.

Here's the rub.

1. If you go to http://www.mycharitywater.org/asce and donate ANY amount of money by January 9th, 2010, you will be entered to win this:

It's a Buddha Board! ($33 value)

Chinese calligraphy, the almost magical art of writing and painting with water, has a long tradition. The special surface of the Buddha Board enables one to draw with pure water. These works of art however, are not meant to last forever, as the water continually evaporates. Painting on the Buddha Board is almost a meditative preoccupation, adding something new to the drawing as soon as a part fades away.

Like a Zen Etch-a-Sketch, simply paint with water (brush included)
As the water evaporates, the image fades, generating new perspectives on creative endeavors
Encourages the Zen idea of living in the moment
Perfect for entertaining the child in all of us
Environmentally friendly and lasts for years with proper care

2. You can also enter to win by becoming a follower to my blog OR be entered to win twice by donating AND becoming a follower!

Only available to people in the continental U.S. If you win, I'll announce it here and you'll have to email me your address so I can ship it to you. Thanks for participating and thank you doubly for donating!

UPDATE: Contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who donated. I updated the link so that people will still be able to donate, if they happen upon this page in the future.

-dualori

James Rhodes plays Bach Marcello

2009-12-18T06:39:00.004-07:00

Download Razor Blades, Little Pills and Big Pianos by James Rhodes from Amazon.

Spring Awakening

2009-12-16T21:18:00.001-07:00

"God, is this it?"

Wednesdays are YouTube/Viral Video Wednesdays, instead of regular Wednesdays.

Things I love: Persian Princess Scarf

2009-12-14T05:56:00.001-07:00

Things I Love

The Persian Princess Scarf is a soft and fancy scarf to add to your wardrobe. This scarf is white with large paisey prints embroidered with beads and large rhinestones. There is fringe at the bottom as well. Scarf measures 76" long.

Persian Princess Scarf $28.00

From Lulus.

Strange Fruit

2009-12-13T13:53:00.001-07:00

That's a weird-looking lemon.

WISHLIST: Señor Don Gato Tea Set

2009-12-13T13:06:00.005-07:00

We've spent a long time searching for Don Gato, famous cat of childhood song. Looked on every red roof around and couldn't find him. Turns out he's moved. No wonder we had such a hard time tracking him down! Don Gato is now the occupant of a green roof, one that also serves as the lid to this house of a tea pot. He's also had a change of occupation - he's no longer reading love letters from the fluffy lady cat, a feline as white as the porcelain composing this pot. Rather, he's guarding your tea, letting it brew in this pot's included mesh strainer. He's also gotten steadier on his feet, so when you pour your perfectly steeped tea into the yellow polka dotted glass cup, he won't fall off the roof and break his solar plexus. He'll just jump gracefully down and nestle among the windows or on the stairs decorating this pot, happy to have avoided the trouble of re-animating himself a second time!

I know that I say this a lot, but this tea set is possibly the coolest thing I have ever seen ... ever.

Señor Don Gato Tea Set $54.99

From ModCloth.

Poetry: Suits by David R. Slavitt

2009-12-13T09:27:00.003-07:00

Suits

by David R. Slavitt

Each morning, as I confront my closet's array,

I have to admit again that the life I lead
is hardly good enough: I have not been named
ambassador to Malta; I am not on the board

of any college or large corporation; I shall not
receive a major prize today and pose
for photographers. Those suits, the shirts, the ties
are ready, but I am not, and the shoes are shined

as they wait for different occasions than I imagined
on the tailor's block, when I shopped for a dandified
future brighter than what I expect or deserve.
Even for weddings and funerals that require
a suit, I choose from the second best, reserving
that one for the dream into which I yet hope to awake.

"Suits" by David R. Slavitt, from William Henry Harrison and Other Poems. © Louisiana State University Press, 2006. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

Graph: Literacy

2009-12-13T06:03:00.002-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 12

2009-12-12T06:44:00.002-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 12: For the Secret Santa Exchange

This wicked little cross-stitch pattern book finally puts an end to all that saccharine sentimentalism and gives modern stitchers the chance to say what's really on their minds. Spread cheer with the ever-festive "Bite Me", or whip up "This Place Sucks" for a cherished co-worker. This fully illustrated book includes 33 of Julie Jackson's best patterns and easy-to-follow directions. It outlines the simple tools and techniques needed, and even offers encouragement and tips on how to create one-of-a-kind revolutionary designs with subversive sentiments all your own. ($15)

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 11

2009-12-11T06:22:00.004-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 11: For the Party at Your Place

Screw bottles. Red Truck mini barrels house three liters (that’s about four bottles) of wine that stay fresh for up to six weeks. ($30) I doubt that this is available in Utah, however. :(

Poetry: Twenty Questions by Maura Stanton

2009-12-10T06:28:00.007-07:00

Twenty Questions

by Maura Stanton

Who wrote Heart of Darkness? And what's the name
Of Dale Evan's horse? Why did thieves steal
Charlie Chaplin's corpse? Can you explain
Hieroglyphs in shells? How do you feel?
How many grains of (popcorn, rice, sand) fill
This container? Why did they auction off
Maria Callas's underwear? Would you like a pill?
Do you feel tired, perhaps? Is that bed soft?
Can you remember your parents' wedding date?
Your own? Like a glass of milk? Some champagne?
How many rhymes in a sonnet? Something you ate?
Who invented Bacos? Think it will rain?
Lie back now. Shall I bring you some chips?
What's the answer? It's rising to your lips.

"Twenty Questions" by Maura Stanton, from Immortal Sofa. © University of Illinois Press, 2008. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 10

2009-12-10T06:13:00.004-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 10: For the Fun and Active Couple

With the unique Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker, you can make ice cream while on camping trips, at picnics, barbecues, and many other places. You don't need electricity to make great tasting ice cream, but rather just add ice and rock salt in one end and ice cream mix in the other end. Then, have a ball as you shake it, pass it, or roll it around for 10 to 15 minutes. The ice cream mix can be as simple as cream, sugar, and vanilla or you can try a more adventurous flavor from the included recipe list or make up your own concoction. Made of durable advanced materials, the Ice Cream Ball is lightweight, portable, and easy to clean. ($40)

I love this! Though, I love ice cream. I gave this to the flawless Nicole and her husband for their wedding gift.

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 9

2009-12-09T06:00:00.003-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 9: For the (Insufferably) Perfect Couple

Substantial, well-polished glass brick bookends make his favorites crystal-clear. The modern cubes display favorite photos while providing substantial support for a row of books. ($50)

set of two bookends

each displays two 4" photos (back to back)

may be etched with up to 30 characters on each bookend

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 8

2009-12-08T06:49:00.004-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 8: For the Good-Humored Fashionista

Get your own piece of unique original art! From Israeli designer Anat Safran, this wallet can be stuffed with make-up, change or anything in between. So real-looking, you'll want to take a bite out of the yummy corn tortilla and tasty cloth toppings. (But please don't.) ($8)

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 7

2009-12-07T06:14:00.003-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 7: Beauty Sleep for the Party Girl

A good night's sleep offers a host of personal health and beauty benefits, from boosting the body’s immune system and alleviating stress to preventing bags and dark circles under the eyes. Ninety-nine percent of the population sleeps on a cotton pillowcase, but since cotton absorbs moisture, it can dry out your hair and skin. Enter BeautyZZZ Silk pH Balance Pillowcase ($47), a incredibly soft hypoallergenic silk pillowcase that supposedly prevents dark under-eye circles, boosts the body’s immune system, and helps keep skin and hair hydrated.

Graph: Classy People

2009-12-06T16:29:00.001-07:00

Insert Max Hall Joke here.

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 6

2009-12-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

Every kitchen has it's own rhythm and hum, and now you can play along. Mix Stix Drumstick Kitchen Spoons are classic indispensable beechwood spoons, morphed into drumsticks. So now you can rock out when you're not stirring, paradiddle on the stockpot and give that mixing bowl a wack. Get with the beat! Wood. Measure 13 inches long. ($10)

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 5

2009-12-05T06:45:00.003-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 5: Blasphemy for your Brother

Call it holy water, but what's in this book should be taken as gospel. Hardback book designed like a bible with a hidden, classically curved stainless steel flask (with attached twist-cap) nestled inside. Finished with an elastic band closure. ($24)

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 4

2009-12-04T06:33:00.006-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 4: For the Geeky One

The perfect way to proudly display your geekery and photos simultaneously, this techie frame features a sturdy wood backing and stand, and recycled motherboard parts at the front. What's "put a picture of your mom in this motherboard frame for a chuckle-worthy play on words that only your indoor-loving, code-creating, blogger extraordinaire friends will appreciate" in binary? All we know is, this frame is pretty 01010010 01000001 01000100 (RAD). ($20)

This one is quite nice, also.

This recycled keyboard frame features a sturdy wood backing and stand, and keys affixed to the front. Great at home or at the office... if tech-inspired décor is your uh, type (it kinda seems to be ours... down to the letter...). ($20)

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 3

2009-12-03T07:15:00.001-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 3: Rhinestones for her iPhone

Slip your jewel-encrusted iPhone into your purse, clutch, or backpack. No matter what bag you rock, you'll always be able to find your phone quickly thanks to this case's purple, lilac, and bright white circular and heart shaped rhinestones. Better yet, the glitz and glamor of this sleek, protective case is sure to garner compliments wherever you go! Whether you're dealing with daytime drama, or making evening plans, your cell phone will look as chic as your outfit when it's in this fun and fabulous case! ($20)

This one's okay, too. Not as bling-tastic, but still. ($20)

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 2

2009-12-02T06:11:00.011-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-cross-off name lingering on your list.

Day 2: For your Favorite Muggle
This genius invention works under your spell, but its capabilities are nothing short of amazing: The Wand controls up to thirteen remote-control gadgets using infrared codes ($82).

dualori

Twelve Days of Wishlist: Day 1

2009-12-01T06:03:00.003-07:00

Twelve Days of Wishlist

Get them something nice without finding it yourself! Twelve Days of Wishlist will give you plenty of ideas for that hard-to-shop-for name lingering on your list.

Day 1: For the Bookish of the Lot

Classic books with beautiful covers designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith.

Get them here from Amazon.com.

Death to the Tinman

2009-11-25T05:59:00.007-07:00

"You're going to be the death of me."

Wednesdays are YouTube/Viral Video Wednesdays, instead of regular Wednesdays.

Poetry: Head Cheerleader by Jack Ridl

2009-11-22T11:14:00.004-07:00

Head Cheerleader

by Jack Ridl

At halftime, she finds
an open mirror, checks
her makeup, sweat
glistening on her forehead.
She runs her tongue
along her upper lip, pulls
a comb through her long
brown hair, pushes it up
on the sides, adds a new
line of lipstick, smoothes
down her skirt. On the
way out, she turns and
looks over her shoulder.

"Head Cheerleader" by Jack Ridl, from Losing Season. © Cavan Kerry Press, 2009. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

Graph: Appeal of Twilight in relation to age of girl

2009-11-20T08:03:00.005-07:00

Utah-related Twilight sites (ZOMGZsoexcitedOMG!):

Events by Alice

Twilight Moms

Twilight Lexicon - Movie Event

Utah Vampires

You might be wondering this: why does Utah love Twilight so much? The answer is a riddle: Utah loves Twilight for the same reason Utah loves green Jello. I hope that is all cleared up.

Electricity vs. Cat

2009-11-19T07:59:00.003-07:00

I thought I would share this little tidbit from pictureisunrelated.com.

Hypothesis: Cats hate electricity.

dualori

Poetry: Diagnosis by Sharon Olds

2009-11-19T06:23:00.006-07:00

Diagnosis

by Sharon Olds

By the time I was six months old, she knew something

was wrong with me. I got looks on my face
she had not seen on any child
in the family, or the extended family,
or the neighborhood. My mother took me in
to the pediatrician with the kind hands,
a doctor with a name like a suit size for a wheel:
Hub Long. My mom did not tell him
what she thought in truth, that I was Possessed.
It was just these strange looks on my face—
he held me, and conversed with me,
chatting as one does with a baby, and my mother
said, She’s doing it now! Look!
She’s doing it now! and the doctor said,
What your daughter has
is called a sense
of humor. Ohhh, she said, and took me
back to the house where that sense would be tested
and found to be incurable.

"Diagnosis" by Sharon Olds, from One Secret Thing. © Random House, Inc., 2009. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy)

On a completely unrelated note: Happy World Toilet Day! A day to celebrate the humble, yet vitally important, toilet and to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis.

Disney Cartoon Template Fail

2009-11-18T18:07:00.003-07:00

Wednesdays are YouTube/Viral Video Wednesdays, instead of regular Wednesdays.

dualori

Wishlist: Might as Well Jump

2009-11-17T17:46:00.003-07:00

When you get up in the morning, nothing will get you down when you accessorize with this necklace from Monserat De Lucca. You'll roll with the punches all day long with this exuberant piece that features the silhouettes of three bounding bodies, all attached together around your neck by a brass link chain and lobster clasp. At the club, no one will catch you with your back against the record machine when you finish your ensemble of gold leggings, flashy heels, and fringed tank top with this adornment, because you'll be on the dancefloor bouncing with delight over your fashion sensibilities. And when you get home, you'll be 'halen' the included cloth drawstring bag where you can store this necklace as the most convenient thing that you've seen.

I have no idea what the previous paragraph is talking about.

Might as Well Jump Necklace $79.99

From Modcloth.com.

Poetry: A Drowsy Day by Paul Laurence Dunbar

2009-11-16T06:52:00.003-07:00

A Drowsy Day

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

The air is dark, the sky is gray,
The misty shadows come and go,
And here within my dusky room
Each chair looks ghostly in the gloom.
Outside the rain falls cold and slow–
Half-stinging drops, half-blinding spray.
Each slightest sound is magnified,
For drowsy quiet holds her reign;
The burnt stick in the fireplace breaks,
The nodding cat with start awakes,
And then to sleep drops off again,
Unheeding Towser at her side.
I look far out across the lawn,
Where huddled stand the silly sheep;
My work lies idle at my hands,
My thoughts fly out like scattered strands
Of thread, and on the verge of sleep–
Stil! half awake–I dream and yawn.
What spirits rise before my eyes!
How various of kind and form!
Sweet memories of days long past,
The dreams of youth that could not last,
Each smiling calm, each raging storm,
That swept across my early skies.
Half seen, the bare, gaunt-fingered boughs
Before my window sweep and sway,
And chafe in tortures of unrest.
My chin sinks down upon my breast;
I cannot work on such a day,
But only sit and dream and drowse.

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

For more on this poem see the Reader Online.

Wishlist: Das Kapital Secret Safe

2009-11-12T18:35:00.002-07:00

Stash your money inside a famous manifesto! Disguise all your green bills and silvery 'tolkiens' in this metal storage case that resembles a small, handsome hardbound copy of Das Kapital by the renowned political economist, and secure your sterling with a number lock. Hide it among the other hardcovers on your shelf, and you'll receive high 'marx' for deceptiveness.

$17.99

From ModCloth.com.

All Natural Nyquil

2009-11-12T06:25:00.008-07:00

#tweetflu

Sorry for the absence. On Twitter I said that I had the #tweetflu. This isn't completely true. Okay, it's not true whatsoever. I've been working on my book a lot lately. I read a book about writing books and it said that I should ease up on the social networking (i.e. facebooking and tweeting for me) and blogging. So I have and, hallelujah, it seems to be working. I am getting a lot written and taking the stance that slow and steady wins the race. Maybe this should have a name. If tweetflu means my story is getting written, I'll be glad to suffer.

If you are suffering from tweetflu, self-inflicted or more of the swine variety, try this All Natural NyQuil remedy from UrbanHonking.

2 cups fresh mint leaves
1 cup water
1 cup agave nectar (sugar, honey work)
1 small ginger bulb
1 lemon
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. roasted green chile
2 shots Pastis
2 shots Southern Comfort

Click here for complete instructions!

Poetry: The Sum of Man by Norah Pollard

2009-10-28T06:27:00.006-06:00

The Sum of Man

by Norah Pollard

In autumn,
facing the end of his life,
he moved in with me.
We piled his belongings—
his army-issue boots, knife magazines,
Steely Dan tapes, his grinder, drill press,
sanders, belts and hacksaws—
in a heap all over the living room floor.
For two weeks he walked around the mess.

One night he stood looking down at it all
and said: "The sum total of my existence."
Emptiness in his voice.

Soon after, as if the sum total
needed to be expanded, he began to place
things around in the closets and spaces I'd
cleared for him, and when he'd finished
setting up his workshop in the cellar, he said,
"I should make as many knives as I can,"
and he began to work.

The months plowed on through a cold winter.
In the evenings, we'd share supper, some tale
of family, some laughs, perhaps a walk in the snow.
Then he'd nip back down into the cellar's keep
To saw and grind and polish,
creating his beautiful knives
until he grew too weak to work.
But still he'd slip down to stand at his workbench
and touch his woods
and run his hand over his lathe.

One night he came up from the cellar
and stood in the kitchen's warmth
and, shifting his weight
from one foot to the other, said,
"I love my workshop."
Then he went up to bed.

He's gone now.
It's spring. It's been raining for weeks.
I go down to his shop and stand in the dust
of ground steel and shavings of wood.
I think on how he'd speak of his dying, so
easily, offhandedly, as if it were
a coming anniversary or
an appointment with the moon.
I touch his leather apron, folded for all time,
and his glasses set upon his work gloves.
I take up an unfinished knife and test its heft,
and feel as well the heft of my grief for
this man, this brother I loved,
the whole of him so much greater
than the sum of his existence.

"The Sum of Man" by Norah Pollard, from Death & Rapture in the Animal Kingdom. © Antrim House, 2009. From the Writer's Almanac.(buy here)

MC Nutz does Wordsworth

2009-10-21T06:35:00.000-06:00

WW:
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

MC Nuts:
I wandered lonely along as if I was a cloud
That floats on high over vales and hills
When all at once I looked down and saw a crowd
And in my path there was a host of golden daffodils
Check it
The kind of sight that puts your mind at ease
I saw beside the lake and beneath the trees
And they moved me like they were bass on the keys
They were fluttering and dancing inside the breeze

Wednesdays are YouTube/Viral Video Wednesdays, instead of regular Wednesdays.

Wishlist: Menagerie Mittens in Smiley Shark

2009-10-18T21:52:00.004-06:00

Shark mittens. 'Nuf said.

From ModCloth: There's nothing too intimidating about the buoyant fins and blissful grins on these little guys! They are hand made from natural resources of the Himalayas, and purchasing these mittens helps support the rural crafts men and women of Nepal. While their outsides are lovingly knit, these mittens are lined with an layer of super soft fleece to keep your fingers extra toasty. There's never been a more irresistible way to stay warm!

Menagerie Mittens in Smiley Shark $34.99 at ModCloth.com.

If you happened across my page by searching for these fabulous mittens, please feel free to follow me for more wonderful recommendations like this!

The Great Beer Flood

2009-10-17T10:15:00.005-06:00

It was 195 years ago today that nine people perished and 323,247 gallons of beer were lost in a horrible flood. The London Beer Flood was the result of one large vat of beer atop a brewery in Tottenham Court giving way and, in a chain reaction, causing several other vats to give. The flood of beer flushed into the streets and caused chaos.

From the BBC's h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy site:

Meux Beer

Meux's Brewery Co Ltd, established in 1764, was a London brewery owned by Sir Henry Meux. Meux, like many modern brewers, bought out smaller breweries - one such being the Horse Shoe Brewery (founded by a Mr Blackburn, and famous for its 'black beer'), located on the junction of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street, London. Atop the Horse Shoe stood several large vats of beer. The largest was the porter vat - a 22-foot-high monstrosity that held 511,920 litres of beer, in turn held together by a total of 29 large iron hoops.

Tottenham Court Road Awash

Come October of 1814, the beer had been fermenting atop the brewery for months (as was the need with porter), and the metal and wood of this huge vat was, unbeknownst to the majority of the brewery workers, beginning to show the strain of holding back the thousands of litres. Suddenly, at about 6.00pm, one of the heavy metal hoops snapped and the contents of the porter vat exploded out - quite literally - causing a chain reaction with the surrounding vats. The resulting noise was apparently heard as far away as five miles!

A total of 1,224,000 litres of beer under pressure smashed through the twenty-five foot high brick wall of the building, and gushed out into the surrounding area - the slum of St Giles. Many people lived in crowded conditions here, and some were caught by the waves of beer completely unaware. The torrent flooded through houses, demolishing two in its wake, and the nearby Tavistock Arms pub in Great Russell Street suffered too, its 14-year-old barmaid Eleanor Cooper buried under the rubble.

Fearful that all the beer should go to waste, though, hundreds of people ran outside carrying pots, pans, and kettles to scoop it up - while some simply stooped low and lapped at the liquid washing through the streets. However, the tide was too strong for many, and as injured people began arriving at the nearby Middlesex Hospital there was almost a riot as other patients demanded to know why they weren't being supplied with beer too - they could smell it on the flood survivors, and were insistent that they were missing out on a party! Calm was quickly restored at the hospital, but out in the streets was a different matter.

Drowning Their Sorrows

Back at the brewery, one man managed to save his brother from going under the vast wave, but as the tide receded the true damage could be discovered. The beer tsunami left nine people dead; many had drowned (like Mary Mulvey and her 3-year-old son Thomas), others were swept away in the flood and died of the injuries they sustained (two young children: Hannah Banfield, 4, and Sarah Bates, 3), and the final victim actually succumbed some days later of alcohol poisoning - such was his heroic attempt to stem the tide by drinking as much beer as he humanly could.

The Meux Brewery Company was taken to court over the accident, but the judge ruled that although devastating, the flood was an 'Act of God' and the deaths were simply by 'casualty'. In other words, no party was to blame, and the company continued working despite the incident. Up until 1961 that is, when it was sold to Friary, Holroyd and Healy's Brewery Ltd of Guildford. The firm became Friary Meux Ltd for only three years, before being bought outright by Ind Coope (& Allsop) of Burton-on-Trent.

From the BBC's h2g2 site, which stands for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Poetry: Apology by Jason Whitmarsh

2009-10-15T07:46:00.009-06:00

Apology

by Jason Whitmarsh

That last love poem I gave you, I want to apologize for that. It was crudely put and several of the metaphors leaned too heavily on sea life. I love you so much more than that. The best pan of the poem was the beginning, and that had nothing to do with you, or me, or how much either of us loves each other. It was just a line from another, better poem. Most of the poem sounds defensive, like I've been accused of not loving you, or you of not loving me. Not that I think I don't love you, or you me. I don't. Still, one could read a poem by someone else and it'd seem more authentic—you'd be more likely to think that poem was dedicated to you, I mean, than to think mine was. One could even argue, too, that by studiously avoiding your name or any identifying traits, I was making this poem fit for more than one person, like women in general, or a second wife, or
your very attractive sister.

"Apology" by Jason Whitmarsh, from Tomorrow's Living Room. © Utah State University Press. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)

Climate Change Blog #BAD09 How to: Green Skiing

2009-10-15T06:48:00.001-06:00

Some of the more foreboding projections predict a snow-less mountain where the Winter Olympics-hosting Park City resort once stood in Utah-in under a century.

The skiing and snowboarding industries face a particularly pressing climate change Catch-22: ski resorts are big emissions generators, and those very emissions may very well put them out of business. We do, after all, need snow to snowboard, right? So it's easy to see why some resorts have a bit of a heightened interest in going green.

This guide will help you pick out the ones that are already implementing ecologically responsible initiatives-some have already gone to great lengths to install wind turbines, buy carbon offsets, and implement carpooling programs. We'll also look at some stellar green gear like solar-paneled ski suits and bamboo boards, point out some of the most egregious eco-offenders (can you say "indoor ski resort"?) and advocate greener, crowd-less cross country skiing and riding. Even better, from online watchdog green groups to cheap carbon offset movements, there are already well-oiled organizations, communities, and programs in place to aid the eco-conscious skier.

Of course, there will also still be some frightening facts to face; sad, slippery slopes of truth about snowfall rates going downhill is just one of them. Some of the more foreboding projections predict a snow-less mountain where the Winter Olympics-hosting Park City resort once stood in Utah-in under a century. But take heart-helping to turn the tide can be simple and painless.

Skiing and snowboarding are such robust, exhilarating outdoor-oriented pastimes that it just seems wrong to not be green when you hit the slopes. You are, after all, taking advantage of nature's generous decision to include snowy, mountainous inclines in its blueprint—so why not minimize your impact when you go?

Thanks to plenty of progressive gear makers and resort owners, being environmentally responsible on your next ski or snowboarding trip won't be an insurmountable challenge. The folks who work in the ski and snowboard industry do so for a reason, remember—they likely love their sport, the outdoors, and the environment. There are a ton of easy ways to make your carbon footprint closer to a barely discernable snowshoe imprint, from supporting resorts dedicated to greening their slopes to picking out gear that's cutting edge both in performance and sustainability.

From PlanetGreen.com. Read the rest of the article here.

About Blog Action Day

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. I posted part of an article that I found on green skiing and snowboarding. Ski season is soon upon us PEOPLE!

Find out more about Blog Action Day #BAD09 here.

I gotta feeling

2009-10-14T19:31:00.001-06:00

"Tonight's gonna be a good, good night."

Wednesdays are YouTube/Viral Video Wednesdays, instead of regular Wednesdays.

C'mon, Get Down with the Sickness

2009-10-10T09:32:00.007-06:00

Oscar had to come home early from a business trip this week. He was at his travel destination for one day and then that same night BOOM: the sickness. Regular flu season has come early this year and all this Swine Flu garbage has convinced me to get a regular flu shot. Maybe it will help even just a tad against the Swine Flu, even though I hear it doesn't. The year that I got my flu shot, I ended up getting Mono. So ever since then, I've avoided it like the plague.

Having Mono was what I imagine people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome experience. You don't have any outward signs, so people tend to think that you are exaggerating or that your tolerance for pain is just lower, AKA you're weak. But then this came out late this week:

[Chronic Fatigue] syndrome, which causes prolonged and severe fatigue, body aches and other symptoms, has long been a mystery ailment, and patients have sometimes been suspected of malingering or having psychiatric problems rather than genuine physical ones. Worldwide, 17 million people have the syndrome, including at least one million Americans.

An article published online Thursday in the journal Science reports that 68 of 101 patients with the syndrome, or 67 percent, were infected with an infectious virus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus, or XMRV. By contrast, only 3.7 percent of 218 healthy people were infected. Continuing work after the paper was published has found the virus in nearly 98 percent of about 300 patients with the syndrome, said Dr. Judy A. Mikovits, the lead author of the paper.

XMRV is a retrovirus, a member of the same family of viruses as the AIDS virus. These viruses carry their genetic information in RNA rather than DNA, and they insert themselves into their hosts’ genetic material and stay for life.

I think that's pretty good news for people suffering from CFS. At least people won't think it's psychosomatic now. If I get the flu this year, after getting a flu shot, I'll never get one again. And the high fever and sallow countenance will probably convince any naysayers. As for the Swine Flu... I'm trying my darnedest to refrain from licking the length of handrails and gas pumps. That's probably all I can do.

UPDATE: I found this Q & A from the NYTimes, written by Tara Parker-Pope. Read the article in its entirety here.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about the new flu virus, regular seasonal flu and the two flu vaccines intended to prevent them both. Join the discussion at nytimes.com/well.

Q: What’s the difference between the seasonal flu that occurs every winter and this new H1N1 flu virus?
A: Seasonal flu comes back in slightly different forms each year. But the H1N1 2009 is an entirely new combination of four genetic elements: a bird flu, some human flu genes and two types of swine flu. The H1N1 2009 virus, which has spread worldwide, was surprisingly robust during the spring and summer months. Right now, about 90 percent of the circulating flu is H1N1, although seasonal flu, which typically peaks in winter, has also been detected.

Q: What is the difference between the two flu vaccines?
A: The H1N1 2009 vaccine contains only the novel H1N1 virus. This year’s seasonal vaccine contains three influenza viruses — one A (H3N2) virus, one regular seasonal A (H1N1) virus unrelated to the swine flu strain and one B virus.

Q: I’ve heard that the new flu strain circulating this fall is mild. Why should I have my child vaccinated?
A: When it became clear last spring that the pandemic H1N1 strain would not be as deadly as once feared, health officials reassured a nervous public that most H1N1 infections had been “relatively mild.” It created the false perception that H1N1 is not a life-threatening illness. While most people who get H1N1 are sick for three or four days and then recover, a recent New England Journal of Medicine study showed that among Americans hospitalized with swine flu last spring, one in four ended up in intensive care and 7 percent of them died. In the Southern Hemisphere, 14 percent of flu patients in intensive care died.

Since Aug. 30, at least 936 Americans have died of flu symptoms or flu-associated pneumonia, and it appears H1N1 2009 flu will be at least as deadly as seasonal flu, which kills about 36,000 people annually.

Q: How is this flu season different from every other flu season?
A: The new flu strain is preying on children and young adults and appears to have a disproportionately high fatality rate in pregnant women. Older people, typically most vulnerable to flu, appear to have some immunity. Since April, 76 children have died of H1N1, including 19 last week, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the first four months of the outbreak, 100 pregnant women were hospitalized with the virus, and 28 died. The C.D.C. reports that 37 states now have widespread influenza activity, highly unusual this early in the season. Hospitalization rates for influenza also are higher than expected for this time of year.

Q: Since the vaccine for H1N1 is new, how do I know it is safe?
A: Every year, the seasonal flu vaccine is tailored to match the viruses circulating at the time, and the H1N1 vaccine was made exactly the same way.

Q: Was the H1N1 vaccine subjected to the same testing and clinical trials as seasonal flu vaccine?
A: The F.D.A. does not require a new round of human clinical trials to study minor changes in the flu vaccine each year. However, clinical trials were conducted on the H1N1 2009 vaccine to determine the adequate dose. In addition, because H1N1 is a pandemic, we now have more information from other countries. Of the first 39,000 Chinese to get shots, only four had side effects, including muscle cramps and headaches. “You could argue that this is better tested than seasonal flu vaccine,” said Dr. Paul A. Offit, chief of infectious diseases for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Q: Were manufacturing shortcuts taken to rush this vaccine to market?
A: Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has lauded the government’s quick response to the pandemic threat and the fast turnaround of the new vaccine. That has created perceptions that the vaccine was rushed. The reality is that in 2005, worries of a bird flu epidemic prompted the Bush administration to increase flu vaccine production capacity. It typically takes five to six months to make flu vaccine, and that is about how long it took to produce the H1N1 2009 vaccine. The H1N1 virus itself grows more efficiently than some past flu strains. “We have cut no corners,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the C.D.C. director, said at a news conference. “This flu vaccine is made as flu vaccine is made each year, by the same companies, in the same production facilities with the same procedures, with the same safety safeguards.”

Q: How is flu vaccine made?
A: The C.D.C. identifies and tests a viral strain, then distributes a version of it to vaccine manufacturers, who inject it into millions of eggs, where it multiplies. Then the virus is harvested, purified and developed into a vaccine.

Q: What is the difference between the nasal spray and the flu shot?
A: The injectable vaccine or flu shot is made from a killed influenza virus that is highly purified and broken into tiny pieces. It cannot recombine in the body to produce flu, but it can still stimulate the immune system to evoke a protective response.

The nasal vaccine, called FluMist, is made of an attenuated live virus. This is a weakened version of the virus that has been tamed in the laboratory so it cannot cause illness. (The measles and chicken pox vaccines also are made from a live attenuated virus.) The attenuated virus can multiply only in the cooler temperatures of the nasal passages, and cannot survive in the higher temperatures of the respiratory tract, said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. When the vaccine is sprayed into the nose, it multiplies on the mucous membranes in the nose and throat, triggering the body’s immune response without causing any illness. Some studies suggest the nasal mist is more effective than the traditional flu shot.
FluMist is not approved for people with asthma, pregnant women or people with underlying medical problems like heart disease and diabetes.

Q: How long after vaccination does the body develop immunity to the H1N1 2009 virus?
A: In general, immunity to H1N1 2009 kicks in about seven to eight days after the vaccine, slightly faster than the 10 to 14 days typical of seasonal flu vaccine. However, a child below the age of 10 will need two doses of the H1N1 vaccine, spaced about a month apart, and full immunity will not occur until about a week after the final dose. “Kids get two doses because they don’t develop as high of a protective antibody response from the first dose,”
said Dr. Gregory A. Poland, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Q: Can seasonal flu vaccine and H1N1 2009 vaccine be taken at the same time?
A: It depends on the formulation. A patient can receive two flu shots or a combination of nasal spray and flu shot. But patients who want both vaccines in nasal spray form must wait at least two weeks between vaccinations so the attenuated viruses do not compete against each other.

Q: If I’ve already had the flu this year, do I need either flu shot?
A: Unless your case was officially confirmed by a laboratory test as H1N1 2009, there is no way to be sure you are protected. If you did have confirmed H1N1, you are still vulnerable to seasonal flu.

Q: Can you get vaccinated against flu if you have a fever or a cold?
A: The flu vaccine is typically not recommended for patients with any signs of illness, so that symptoms are not wrongly misdiagnosed as side effects of a flu shot.

Q: Can people who are allergic to eggs get the flu vaccine?
A: The vaccine typically is not given to people with egg allergy. People at high risk for flu complications may be able to work with an allergist to be desensitized so they tolerate the vaccine.

Q: Why are pregnant women at higher risk of complications from H1N1 flu?
A: A woman’s immune system is compromised during pregnancy. Late in the pregnancy, the fetus pushes up against the thoracic cage and decreases a woman’s lung capacity, putting her at risk for respiratory complications if she contracts flu. A New England Journal study found that pregnant women with swine flu were nine times more likely to be in intensive care.

Q: Is flu vaccination an option for people with suppressed immune systems?
A: A flu vaccine works by stimulating the body’s immune system to produce antibodies against the virus. A person with a suppressed immune system cannot generate an immune response and does not benefit from vaccination. This includes many cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, asthma patients who require large doses of steroids and those taking immune-suppressing drugs after an organ transplant. Patients who are immune-compromised should talk to their doctor about whether they should get a flu shot.

Q: Do adjuvants added to flu vaccine increase risk of an autoimmune reaction?
A: This is a myth perpetuated on some health Web sites. Although substances called adjuvants are sometimes added to vaccines to make them more effective, no flu vaccine sold in the United States, including the H1N1 2009 vaccine, contains any adjuvants.

Q: Does the new vaccine contain the mercury compound thimerosal?
A: Flu vaccine packaged in a multidose vial contains thimerosal, a preservative that prevents contamination of the vial during repeated use. One dose from a multiuse vial contains about 25 micrograms of mercury. By comparison, a tuna fish sandwich contains about 28 micrograms of mercury. Repeated studies have shown thimerosal to be safe. However, people who want to minimize mercury exposure can ask for a vaccine in a single-dose package, which has only trace amounts. Thimerosal is not used in the production of FluMist.

Q: What about the severe complications associated with the 1976 swine flu vaccine?
A: A 1976 swine flu vaccine was associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (pronounced ghee-YAN bah-RAY), in which the body damages its own nerve cells, causing weakness and sometimes paralysis. The data on flu vaccine and Guillain-Barré syndrome are not conclusive. One study suggested the 1976 vaccine posed a 1 in 100,000 risk. Another study found flu vaccine in general carries a 1 in one million risk for Guillain-Barré syndrome. By comparison, 1 in 8,300 Americans dies of flu each year.

Q: If I think I have H1N1 2009, should I see a doctor?
A: Most people will recover without needing a doctor. High-risk patients should see a doctor at the onset of flu symptoms and may be treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

Mary had a Little Anxiety

2009-10-03T08:06:00.004-06:00

Jerome Kagan suspected, extrapolating from a study he had just completed on toddlers, that the most edgy infants were more likely to grow up to be inhibited, shy and anxious. Eager to take a peek at the early results, he grabbed the videotapes of the first babies in the study, looking for the irritable behavior he would later call high-reactive.

No high-reactors among the first 18. They gazed calmly at things that were unfamiliar. But the 19th baby was different. She was distressed by novelty — new sounds, new voices, new toys, new smells — and showed it by flailing her legs, arching her back and crying. Here was what Kagan was looking for but was not sure he would find: a baby who essentially fell apart when exposed to anything new.

Read the entirety of this fascinating article here.

From the NYTimes article Understanding the Anxious Mind by ROBIN MARANTZ HENIG.

Wishlist: Lightsaber Chopsticks

2009-10-02T06:54:00.001-06:00

Order these bad boys from Kotobukiya.

dualorism, a shot of Jager for the Soul

2009-09-27T11:56:00.010-06:00

dualorism
____________________________________________________________

First edict of dualorism, all snobs will be shunned.

This is ALL snobs including, but not limited to, wine snobs, beer snobs, coffee snobs, brand-name snobs (especially Ed Hardy-donning snobs), shoe snobs, bag snobs, sushi snobs, I-don't-eat-fish snobs, I-don't-eat-meat snobs, vegetarian snobs, vegan snobs, lactose-intolerant snobs, Whole-Foods-shopping-only snobs, Avoid-Whole-Foods-like-the-plague snobs, car snobs, leather-seat snobs, heated-seats snobs, GPS snobs, crotch-rocket snobs, book snobs, grammar snobs, photography snobs, movie snobs, blogger snobs, news snobs, don't-use-the-five-second-rule snobs, outdoorsy snobs, ride-my-bike-to-work snobs, trust-fund-baby snobs, I-worked-my-way-through-college snobs, volunteer snobs, my-kid-could-walk-at-nine-months snobs, music snobs, public-radio snobs, sports-talk-radio snobs, country-music snobs, indie-music snobs, thrift-store-shopping snobs, do-it-yourself snobs, foodie snobs, 100-dollar-eyecream snobs, fake-breast/fake-tan/fake-nail snobs, religious snobs, masonic snobs, sports snobs, I-don't-follow-sports snobs, facebook snobs, twitter snobs, president-of-your-significant-others'-fanclub snobs, and people named Veronica.

Addendum: It has been proposed to add people named Marley to the shunned list. Dogs named Marley, however, are acceptable.

Addendum to the Addendum: Proposal has been revoked. My cousin named her son Marley. Nepotism lives.

dualorism:see the light

Giraffe and a Half

2009-09-25T06:15:00.001-06:00

It's the birthday of children's book author and poet Shel Silverstein, (books by this author) born in Chicago (1930), who wrote the verse:

If you had a giraffe

and he stretched another half …

you would have a giraffe and a half.

Silverstein wrote many children's books, including best-sellers A Light in the Attic (1981) and Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974).

From the Writer's Almanac.

Step, Bump, Step, Bump-Bump

2009-09-23T06:20:00.000-06:00

Conference season again. This will be the opening to the class I am presenting. :)

"Step, Bump. Step, Bump-bump."

Wednesdays are YouTube/Viral Video Wednesdays, instead of regular Wednesdays.

To Autumn

2009-09-22T06:18:00.019-06:00

On September 19th, 1819, 24-year-old John Keats wrote the ode "To Autumn."

It is one of the most anthologized poems in the English language.

He wrote to his friend: "Somehow a stubble plain looks warm — in the same way that some pictures look warm — this struck me so much in my Sunday's walk that I composed upon it."

John Keats (1795-1821)

TO AUTUMN.

1.
SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

2.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

3.
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Sky over Salt Lake City

2009-09-20T06:35:00.002-06:00

In the sky there is nobody asleep. Nobody, nobody.

Nobody is asleep.
The creatures of the moon sniff and prowl about their cabins.
The living iguanas will come and bite the men who do not dream,
and the man who rushes out with his spirit broken will meet on the
street corner
the unbelievable alligator quiet beneath the tender protest of the
stars.

From the poem City That Does Not Sleep by Federico Garcia Lorca

Stadium Pal

2009-09-19T07:59:00.002-06:00

Salt Lake Digs

2009-09-18T07:34:00.002-06:00

Cool site for sweet housing in Salt Lake: SaltLakeDigs.com.

The Force is Strong

2009-09-17T06:52:00.002-06:00

Obama Force

Try Kitten Mittens

2009-09-16T06:43:00.002-06:00

"Is your cat TOO LOUD?"

Wednesdays are YouTube/Viral Video Wednesdays, instead of regular Wednesdays.

Nonsense

2009-09-13T15:22:00.003-06:00

"A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men." -Roald Dahl

Pumpkin Bread

2009-09-12T07:24:00.000-06:00

Sonnet 43: How do I love thee, let me count the ways

by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being an ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion to put use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Public domain. (buy now)

999

2009-09-09T00:51:00.000-06:00

The Beatles

9

Get Smart

2009-09-08T00:33:00.001-06:00

In September of 1825, an Englishman by the name of Sir George Smart came to Vienna, hoping to meet Beethoven. Smart had conducted the British premiere of Beethoven's Ninth, and wanted, as he put it in his journal, "to ascertain from Beethoven himself the exact tempos of the movements of his Sinfonia."

By luck, Smart arrived in time to attend the Schuppanzigh Quartet's premiere of Beethoven's String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132, which occurred on today's date that year for a private audience of fourteen at the Viennese Tavern "Zum Wilden Mann."

In his journal, Smart wrote:

"At twelve we took ourselves to the Wilden Mann, as I understood that Beethoven would be there, and there I found him. He received me in the most flattering manner. There was an assembly to hear Beethoven's new manuscript quartet. This is three-quarters of an hour long, and they played it twice. It is most chromatic and there is a slow movement entitled 'Praise for the recovery of an invalid.' Beethoven intended it to allude to himself, I suppose, for he was very ill during the early part of this year. Beethoven directed the performers, and took off his coat, the room being warm and crowded. A staccato passage not being expressed to the satisfaction of his eye, for alas, he could not hear, he seized the violin and played the passage himself -- a quarter of a tone too flat!”

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827):
String Quartet in a, Op. 132
Emerson Quartet
DG 447 075

From the Composer's Datebook, one of the reasons that I listen to Classical 89 on KBYU.

Waiting for the Alchemist

2009-09-06T10:45:00.002-06:00

In My Next Life

by Mark Perlberg

I will own a sailboat sleek
as fingers of wind
and ply the green islands
of the gulf of Maine.
In my next life I will pilot a plane,
and enjoy the light artillery
of the air as I fly to our island
and set down with aplomb
on its grass runway.
I'll be a whiz at math, master five or six
of the world's languages, write poems
strong as Frost and Milosz.
In my next life I won't wonder why
I lie awake from four till daybreak.
I'll be amiable, mostly, but large
and formidable.

I'll insist you be present
in my next life—and the one after that.

"In My Next Life" by Mark Perlberg, from Waiting for the Alchemist. © Louisiana State University Press, 2009. From the Writer's Almanac. (buy now)