Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

December 14, 2013

Winter, Almost

Winter, almost
And the texture is of bare brown and white
After heavy verdant of summer
Room for skies of spare blue 
And the crimson cardinal flash

k.e. 12/14/13

*******************************************************

JUNIP


Line Of Fire 

What would you do
if it all came back to you?
Each crest of each wave
bright as lightning

What would you say
if you had to leave today?
leave everything behind
even though for once, you're shining

Standing on higher ground
when you hear the sounds
you realize it's just the wind
And you notice it matters 
who and what you let under your skin

Put to the test
would you step back from the line of fire?
Hold everything back
all emotions set aside it

Convince yourself
someone else
and fight from the world
your lack of confidence.
What you choose to believe in
takes you much too far
takes you much too far

No one else around you
no one to understand you
no one to hear your calls.
Look through all your dark corners
you're backed up against the wall
step back from the line of fire

What would you do
if it all came back to you?
each crest of each wave
bright as the lightning
do the same as you do
do the same as you do
do the same as you
do the same as you

I do the same as you, 
Do the same as you 
do the same as you do 
What you choose to believe in
takes you much too far

No one else around you
no one to understand you
no one to hear your calls.
Look through all your dark corners
you're backed up against the wall
Step back from the line of fire
Step back from the line of fire
Step back from the line of fire
Step back from the line of fire
Step back from the line of fire
Step back from the line of fire
Step back from the line of fire
Step back from the line of fire

Step back
Step back 
Step back

November 30, 2013

Bunch of Other Stuff

Well maybe not a bunch. But definitely some.

  • Made an appointment with Kathryn at Dogstar for the next tattoo on the inside of my right forearm on December 23rd. Won't be doing "Fear is a Liar" after all; she talked me out of it - she knows what I want more than I do. Heh. It will be free form, as you'll see the end in the knots. True knot work you can't see the beginning or end of the knot - but it needs to be big so it doesn't close up. Don't have that option on the forearm. I suppose I'll have to match the left forearm at some point 'cause that's how tattoos are - can't have just one. Some people do not get the Pictish inclination for the tattoos. Whatever. It's in my DNA.
  • Speaking of DNA - did I tell you Ancestry.com found my two percent "Uncertain"? Caucasus. (Syria, Iran, Iraq) Seriously not the woodpile I was expecting. Things are more broken down - 24% Ireland. 7% British Isles. 61% Western Europe (My Scandinavian is Danish; my gut feeling.). That explains why I love the rowing machine - all that DNA memory of longboats. Heh.
  • Had a very nice Thanksgiving at Susan and Tony's house. They entertain like I wish I did. No worry, no stress. You're family; hanging around the table nibbling on cheese and drinking cava, everyone at ease. My contributions were bacon jam and cranberry conserve. Talked to The Boy and OSD in the morning. It was a lovely day.


Thanksgiving 2013


  • The dates had died out there for a bit, perhaps due to holidays. Now I have one tomorrow night with a poet from Hillsborough. Here's hoping he doesn't hold his spoon like a two year old
  • Went to the Durham Rock and Shop Market at the Durham Armory today and spent $ on ME. (I'm my favorite person to spend money on.) Bought a fused glass skull necklace by Isabel's Rose and a Durham skyline necklace by Metamorphosis Metals. The bull can be added later if I want. And I want. It pretty much makes the skyline.





  • On the weightlifting front, I did squats with 95 lbs Tuesday night and...my knee hurt. Just saying. Then overhead presses and Turkish Get ups. All my least favorite stuff in one night. UGH.
  • I'm restless and moving the furniture doesn't help. If [when] I dream I'm pregnant, we're in trouble. (new beginnings and change.)
  • A friend gave me this hat. I think of myself as more of a fedora person. What do you think?


Alright, that's it for now.



November 23, 2013

Time Flies

Whether you're having fun or not.

What the heck was so important that I neglected YOU, my dear readers, for another three weeks?!
(Did you even notice I was AWOL? You can be honest.)

Truth is, not a damn thing.

I hereby promise to do better at posting my usual boring fare. You know, the stuff you read to put you to sleep.

So...

Those of you who are regulars here know that I don't normally discuss undergarments, but these are so amazing, I just have to. Underwear by Naomi & Nicole has a sticky portion (I know, it sounds weird, but trust The Sock Monkey on this, okay?) around the legs that glues those knickers to your rear end in a way that 1.) doesn't hurt, 2.) keeps them in place, and 3.) erases VPLs.
They are GENIUS. (Wonderful Edge. Tag line: no ride no lines) (P.S. don't watch the video, it's just the mannequin ass spinning around for 22 seconds.)


The world of dating. Yep. Still doing that. It's almost like its own full time job.
The 31 year old (K.) disappeared for a bit, but he's back. We have not had date #2  yet, but we will, my pretty, oh we will.
Had a second date with another gentleman, let's call him A; very nice, easy to talk to, seemingly normal.
First date was coffee. All good.
Date #2 involved food and, dear Jesu Christo y'all, I HAD TO AVERT MY EYES - because, (oh babies, I can hardly speak of it)... he held the spoon in his fist!
In the deal breaker category, that's damn close to a comb-over (comb overs - just stop that shit. Shave that pate and be proud.). The worst part, besides doing it in the first place, there was no shame. So, we either never see each other again OR we never eat together again. At least nothing that involves spoons... (Nooooooo...not the soup!) Sigh.

In the weight lifting arena, I dead lifted 170 pounds Thursday night, which is ten pounds over my previous personal best. Our darling Barbell Club coach Paul, (who is as hilarious as he is cute), when asked if I was ever going to get past 160 pounds said, "I'm tired of hearing you whine about being stuck at 160. Put some more weight on and do it." And I did. Ten reps worth.
My upper body sadly, is still unworthy of reporting a personal best. I can barely do 40 pounds in an overhead press. My bench press is only slightly better at 70 pounds. And my squats...well, they are basically a non-entity. I do squats with a kettle bell and risers. The dead lift is my crowning glory. That big Scandinavian arse is good for something - ha!

One more thing: we bloggers are a community of sorts and Andrea over at Go Ask Alice is having a hard time. She lost her cat a few months ago, and now her dog Brio is fighting a losing battle with kidney failure. Please think on her and hers kindly.

Here's some old school good stuff:



And this never gets old either:



October 13, 2013

Fingers Crossed


  • Thank you for all the good thoughts - they're working! The knot in my thigh is much smaller. Still having excruciating leg cramps almost every night, even with drinking lots of water and taking potassium. Ugh. (Feel free to add that to the good thoughts list)
  • We're in Oregon weather mode, which would be fine if we were in Oregon; looking like it will continue through Tuesday or Wednesday.
  • Finally corralled Mr. Wilde into a carrier yesterday (still possess all of my limbs!) and took him to the vet for a nail trim. Ah, blessed silence - no more clickclickclick! He was mad at every living thing in the house when he got back. Didn't want me to pet him, wouldn't accept a piece of chicken. That's pissed.
  • Acorns are falling from the two big white oaks in the side yard; sometimes it sounds like a hailstorm when I'm in the home "office" (a.k.a. my guest room closet).
  • After our abbreviated walk around the Duke East Campus yesterday, we ate at the adorable little Hummingbird Bakery. Oh my god - butterscotch custard! Then went shoe shopping right next door. Custard and SHOES! Could life be more perfect?! I bought a pair of earrings (they were in my price range, whereas the shoes were not): 

Sterling silver earrings by Karen Schmelzer

  • It's almost Oscar Wilde's 159th birthday (the man, not the cat.).
  • That's all I have dear readers. Have a good week. And thanks for all the love.






October 6, 2013

The Worst Part

of writing this blog is thinking of a damn title for the post. Not all the time of course. But often enough.

Anyway.


  • All that shit I've been doing must be working, (even though the damn bingo wings and menopot are still very much present), because yesterday I bought a size smaller pair of jeans. Just never you mind about the spandex content in said jeans. (A.K.A."Fiddle dee dee" in Southern girl speak.) As Anon CP said, if they zip and snap - that's all that matters. 
  • Speaking of all that shit working, I joined a bodybuilding site to track my progress somewhere other than Facebook. It's a site I reference for the name of whatever we did in Barbell Club (what was that painful thing that crushed my clavicle called again?). I currently have three "friends" - all extremely buff 20 somethings. Hilarious. I would squash them like a bug - emotionally, physically, and mentally.
  • While we're on the subject of clavicles, doesn't it sounds like it should be somewhere below the belt? Maybe that's just me.
  • Wish I'd taken a picture of the leaf in the shape of a whale fluke last week, still thinking about it.
  • Yesterday: an old woman, completely unaware of us, sat on the steps of her little mill house, lost in the blossoms of the impatiens on the step next to her. Such a poignant evocative image, but a photo seemed too invasive. She reminded me of Mom. 
  • Today I thought my steam cleaner had died - alas and alack! The end of the world as I know it! But then it miraculously was healed and floor cleaning commenced. Best $150 I ever spent. 
  • What the hell else? After two months (tomorrow actually), the Old Sea Dog [OSD] and I are still...something. In communication. We'll leave it at that, shall we?
  • It was 91 degrees here yesterday, y'all. At least it wasn't humid. What the hell happened to autumn?! I was not happy to turn on the AC again, let me tell you. 
  • My next tattoo will be "Fear Is A Liar" on my right forearm. If Dogstar will ever call me back. I'll ask Kathryn to jus it up with some knot work. Like this: 


    Thought for the week: ‎"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness." Seneca  

    Go forth and be kind, readers. 



September 15, 2013

So Excited

Two young men we know from Drag Bingo (not drag queens) are getting married next Saturday.
I cried about three times last night I was so damn happy for them.

B.'s parents are not supportive (they're not being ugly about it, they just can't get on board, even though they love C.), so Nancy and I are Mom stand-in's.

I told you we are on the Planning Committee for next year, didn't I? Maybe not. B. is also on committee.
Seriously excited.

***********************************************************
I love this poem. Lifted from a moon, worn as if it had been a shell:

Success Story

My clothes are perfectly contoured
to my body. my shoes & socks
fit just right. My cat is a delightful
intelligent animal. My apartment
is great. The right location,
cheap rent. I eat the best food.
My friends love me. I adore them.
My lover is terrific & beautiful.
The sun is shining. There are trees
even in the slums in Washington.
I have tons of money & a gorgeous
air conditioner. Great art hangs
on my wall. I live a spine-tingling life
of delirious sex & intense happiness.


Terence Winch

*******************************************
I cannot stop listening to this song:

"Slipping Away"


Wait just a little bit more
I feel you cause your breath is burning holes in my door
You love it when there's blood on your tongue and you're ready for war
But wait just a little bit more
Take what you came here for
I know you and I know you can't take anymore
You got me with your fingers on my throat and my head on the floor
You're taking what you came here for
So this is how I'm slipping away
Yea this is how you want me to play
You know I love it but it's stopping today
I'm slipping away
Oh I think that I should go
My house is burning out of control I know you hate it and you want me to stay I'm slipping away
Wait just a little bit more I'm watching as your lips are moving towards that horn
You're ready but I'm not quite dead and I'm not quite yours
So wait just a little bit more
Take what you came here for I'm ready for you flames crawling up my door
And if you give me just a minute I'll be out on the floor
You're taking what you came here for
So this is how I'm slipping away
Yea this is how you want me to play
You know I love it but it's stopping today I'm slipping away
Oh I think that I should go
My house is burning out of control I know you hate it and you want me to stay I'm slipping away
Wait just a little bit more
You hold me like I've never been held before
Your spider web is wrapping around my head like a big black hole
So wait just a little bit more
Take what you came here for I trusted and I promised to believe, I swore
That you would be the first and the last but I did not know
You take me but you'll take no more
So this is how I'm slipping away
Now this is how you want me to play
You know I love it but it's stopping today I'm slipping away
Oh I think that I should go
My house is burning out of control I know you hate it and you want me to stay I'm slipping away

******************************************

And now I'm going to drag myself out on Pajama Day for a Med Deli run. 


September 8, 2013

Only Way Out

For the time being, The Troubles are over; I'm no longer hollow. So there's that.

No Empower today, it's my day of rest. Tomorrow night it begins again with TRX. Tuesday and Thursday: Barbell Club; Wednesday: personal trainer; Friday: Cardio Kickboxing. You can see who is kicking my ass here: http://becomepowerful.com/about/the-team/. Tiffani is my PT. Angelo is the kickboxing instructor. Paul does the barbell club. Elizabeth and Jordan teach the TRX classes.

Three things:


















  1. I have biceps now
  2. I deadlifted 100 pounds Thursday night
  3. Some part of me is always full of the pain (this sums it up nicely) (Paul said he is always sore; you just get used to it. Bad, bad answer Paul.)

Also, there are bruises all over my body. 

I need this tattooed on my arm so I can read it every second:

I am also loving Robert Montgomery, a Scottish artist based in London, who writes poems and then sets them on fire. My favorites are 2, 3, 14, and 15. Just click on the number.

Been listening to Dessa. Enjoying her A LOT.






That's all I got. Oh no, wait. One more, not Dessa. Fun David Byrne song.


Have a good week readers. Kick ass and take names.

I will be.


September 2, 2013

Hollow

That's how I feel today.

Hollow, caved-in, empty, hungover (mentally, not physically). It could be due to not eating anything until now, but I think it's mostly due to the other.

I made myself get dressed and drove to the Mediterranean Deli in Chapel Hill; came home with chicken kabob, chickpea and spinach salad, baked okra, avocado feta salad, and a piece of cheese baklava. (I could easily eat there every single day)
The homeless man on the corner said "Thank you baby", and told me to have a blessed day when I gave him $5. He had a nice smile.

I listened to The White Stripes "De Stijl" so loud my ears almost bled.

I needed to fill up that hollow place.






August 9, 2013

Crossing Over


My friend left this mortal plane today around 4 am Pacific Daylight Time. A swift blessing.

Thanks to the miracles of technology, I was part of the death bed vigil in California.
Text messages, Facebook IM's from the bedside. Dear friends served by proxy - held his hand and told him I loved him. I could just hug their necks for that; it meant more than I can say.

My eyes are practically swollen shut from crying. (I do not look good when I cry. Some people do. That damn cheap Irish/Scandinavian complexion. Just turns red.)

Anyway, no more suffering, no more pain.

Safe journey Mountain Man. We'll light up a few cigars in your honor.

"Paradise is exactly like where you are right now... only much, much better." -- Laurie Anderson



June 19, 2013

Morning Thoughts

I drove to work the usual way and wondered if in five or ten years I live elsewhere, will some other drive remind me of this road, this drive, this morning?

Trees heavy with green press down towards the narrow old road still patterned with wet from the monsoon rain yesterday, this song on the radio:


My breathing slowing to zen at the stop light from the song, the morning's pink newness, the bell tones of a bird call, the big digital clock flashing 7:16 / 67; the woman next to me in the silver BMW slipping backwards from her own zen state.

May 27, 2013

Stuff I Think About

Poison ivy: Where the heck does it come from? And what is the purpose of stuff like that (see also chiggers, mosquitoes, wasps, hornets)? Seriously. Does it benefit anything? Does some insect or animal depend on it for food or shelter?

Shopping carts: Why do [most] people WALK AROUND A CART in the parking lot to get one from inside the store? That completely fascinates me. Are folks just that unconscious? Do they not see the thing they had to walk around? Do they think it's the job of someone else to deal with the parking lot carts? Or do they think the ones inside the store are better/cleaner? I'd love to stop someone and ask, but would probably get punched.

Shopping carts, continued: Why can't people walk an extra couple of feet to return the cart to the cart corral? Instead they leave them in parking spaces. Or on the sidewalk. Or half propped up on the curb. (do they think they're being considerate when they do that? only take up half a parking space that way)

Plants: Why do I buy them? It's a waste of money. I love to look at them, but hate the upkeep.

Bacon: Why is it so good? That's all.

I've also thought about F5 tornadoes and car bombings and graduation and war and the Pacific Theatre and cat carriers and drag bingo and the price of gas and how much I like staying here when everyone else goes away and scissors and pork chops and LED light bulbs and lawnmowers and changing sheets and laundry and paper bags and tomatoes with mayonnaise and dishwashers and water filters (why is mine making that noise?!) and how I have to keep calling people to finish work they agreed to do and Morocco and 1.5 million dollar condos in San Francisco and wood floors and how come I still haven't cleaned the cat puke stains (because I don't have to) and cat grass and fires and floods and staining the deck and sweeping the front porch and cat litter and vacuuming and where Finn is sleeping and why won't Lillie shut up and rearranging the furniture (always) and car inspections and vehicle registration and fixing the scraped up side of the car and beheaded soldiers in London and ravens in the Tower and Yeoman Warders and earthquakes and nuclear reactors and Japan and bracelets with carved ivory animals and elephants and pens and where the heck did I put that refill and getting dressed and returning things I bought Saturday and french fries and work tomorrow and taking videos back to the library and if it's open today (probably not) and donating my body to The Body Farm and green funerals and should I get more coffee (no) and how much I like the music of the person below.

"Summer Breeze (Set Sail)" - Giyo


"Rainfall" - Giyo



May 5, 2013

Sunday, Sunday

I just finished my breakfast of saffron yolked poached eggs and thick center cut bacon from pork raised without antibiotics that cost $1.13 a slice (there were eight slices; I let you do the math). It was delicious (better be) - like eating a slice of pork chop. The jewel-toned eggs were topped off with hollandaise and a sprinkle of hot smoked Spanish paprika. Oscar got to clean the plate.

It's Oregon weather again today, and I'm still not complaining. It's cool and well... pretty fantastic in my book. In April, the heat was turned off, the AC on, then back off, and now, in May, I'm contemplating turning the heat on again. I refuse to put the flannel sheet (too hot blooded for plural flannel), back on the bed or take down the winter clothes - that would surely jinx everything. That reminds me, I need to put clothes in the dryer. BRB.

I don't have to clean today. Did that Friday night before friends came over for some pre-dinner refreshments. Dinner was at Dos Perros, in case you were curious. Sweet potato empanada (spell check says... Pasadena) with chipotle fig sauce. Watery, boring butternut squash soup (disappointingly so). Where were the pepitas? The guacamole was excellent though.
As a side note, if I ever cross over to the dog side and get a female dog, I am so naming her Pepita; it is just too fun to say. No name stealing now.

While following a friend through the UNC campus yesterday on our way to see Iron Man III, we stopped at a light. A young man was waiting to cross Columbia, dressed in butter yellow Bermuda shorts, short sleeved blue and white striped shirt, and tan boating shoes. He was probably 6'2", lean, slightly tan, with thick light brown hair, and the carefully manicured facial stubble that is so popular (and annoying). (It was a long light with no turn on red y'all; lots of observation time.). He looked like a Ralph Lauren ad. I thought about how young he was and how his whole life was ahead of him and just in general wondered what in the hell is it like to be so damned good-looking. King of the world.
As we waited for the movie to start, Erin leaned over and asked if I had noticed the young man at the light. She'd been thinking the same things.

There was no point to that snippet, just an ah youth kind of a thing.

Iron Man III was funny, but about 20 minutes too long, which was about the amount of time Goopy Gwyneth was on screen. Coincidence?

I'm going to go rearrange some furniture and then put it right back the way it was.

Enjoy some Jono McCleery on this gray, drizzly [fantastic] day.












April 21, 2013

This and That

This: It's chilly out this morning, 46 according to my temp widget. As I write this at 9:37 AM (EDT), I have socks and a robe on. I am NOT complaining (really, I like cooler weather), merely reporting.

And that: The Chapel Hill Library has completed its revamp. Here's our brick:

Photo courtesy of J. G.

This: Yesterday we had a "Grandma Shower" for one of our own awaiting the arrival of her first grandchild. It's a whole new Hallmark card/wrapping paper/gift genre. We should copyright the idea. 

I highly recommend it; why (you may well ask)? 
Well, alcohol (gin slushies!) is allowed, and there's no food restrictions (except gluten, but that's standard practice with us). Best of all, there's no labor length/pain level / episiotomy competitions. (one of the reasons I've boycotted the regular type baby showers for years) 

And that: Planted some cat grass which the cats LOVE like it's candy. 
How do they repay me for planting said grass for them? By puking on the white carpet in the bedroom. 

Warning: graphic content



This: The winter to summer clothes and shoe swap has been completed. I wore these Born Concept shoes pretty much all winter: 
a.k.a. "man shoes"
They're so comfortable I bought two pair (brown and black). Now when I put on other shoes, my feet say "What the hell is going on?!", even to my previously favored Keen shoes.  
Seriously paring down the shoes because someone recently said I had a lot of shoes (26 pair), which in my brain equals "must purge"! 
It's really not a lot of shoes (I know someone who has over 100 pair), when you consider some are dress, some are strictly summer (sandals) or winter (boots). But it did put it into my head that being attached to shoes that are not comfortable or that I didn't wear at least once last year are O.U.T.
See? Even my purge oriented brain needs a reminder from time to time.

And finally, that: We haven't had any music lately. Here's Blue Hawaii "Try to Be":


August 2, 2012

Bleh

Yeah, that's right. Bleh. I have been in this Crabby MacCrabberston state for what seems like weeks.
And kind of don't care.

Don't you hate it when chirpy people tell you that you shouldn't have a bad attitude? As if that's going to make a difference. Oh, golly gosh, you're right - I'll stop right now. Thanks chipper pal, you're the best!

ugh.

************************************************
What's been happening?
Let's start with the cracked fuel line on the car.

Pros:
Happened during the day
Discovered it before all the gas drained out of my tank
No-one threw a lit cigarette at me
It wasn't a hole in the gas tank
Work close to the Toyota dealer who could fix it
Know people who have an extra car and let me borrow extra car overnight

Cons:
Unexpected expense of $231
Found out my power steering is also leaking

*************************************

Saw the Cat Lady again last week. I hadn't seen her in awhile, so you know, I made up stuff like maybe she got an apartment. But there she was, on the street behind Home Depot. The cat had just jumped out of the car onto the grass. I wondered if I should stop. But then what? What in the world would I say? She intrigues me and horrifies me at the same time.
Horrifies me in the way homeless and/or sick people do sometimes - where I don't know what to say or where to look or what to do with the fear that threatens to choke me, because maybe it is contagious. (please feel free to insert "I" where appropriate, unless of course you never experience that feeling. If you don't, you are a fantastic person. And are probably now wondering why we're friends.)

In the end I just felt depressed as I drove on past. From my house. To work.

Thought about her the rest of the day.

************************************
We'll end this post with a happy Beach Boys-eque song.


May 26, 2012

I Don't Know

What to call this post.

I'm in the middle of a major "meh" fest with myself. Feeling dissatisfied, sort of, and stuck, sort of, and yet comfortable, and on top of that, not having a clue what to do different.

Maybe it's part of grieving.

Maybe it's just part of me. The struggle to "find" myself.
(My mother in her demented wisdom would have said, "You're right here.")



"Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it." -- Tallulah Bankhead




******************************
Anyway.
I "found" myself in Carrboro on Friday to get my car serviced at the always terrific Auto Logic.
Carrboro was the first town I lived in when I moved to NC and it has that special first-town place in my heart.

I sat outside Weaver Street Market enjoying a coffee and Dwell magazine while Auto Logic did their magic:


This was inside:



The morning was hazy, a bit cool.
Walking over, I saw things I hadn't seen before. Like this fountain:




And these flowers:


And this lovely scene across Weaver Street as I thought about thin women with bearded men who smiled at me inside when I got coffee and seemed chagrined when they saw me outside and the thin woman was next to them:


******************************************************************
"Hells Bells" by Cary Ann Hearst:

May 13, 2012

Mother's Day

This is a "Hallmark Holiday". Another made up holiday for what should be everyday, or at the very least, every month. Because, frankly, we're worth it. (Unless you have a "Komodo Dragon" for a mom, as a friend of a friend called hers. Yikes!)

Still, I changed my cover photo on Facebook to this:


I was going to use this one:

but my mother looks too sad. (And a bit like Keely Smith.)




May 5, 2012

Notes on Today

Walking along Hunt Street in Durham this morning:
semi cool breeze carrying the sounds of people laughing, the jingle of dog's tags, the smell of coffee and earth and strawberries and sunscreen (SPF 45).

Later in Southern Village walking the upper loop alone (the price one pays for being late):
the PERFUME of honeysuckle lit up by the heat, a spray of blood on the sidewalk from a skinned knee or nose, the imprints of shoes in the concrete. The sounds of soccer and hockey and children on swings mingled with this song:



Even later, this charming postcard sized painting was discovered:



April 27, 2012

Frittata

I am so in love with frittatas, they are quick, easy, full of protein, and the perfect clean-out-your-frig meal.
Make a salad while it's baking and you've got dinner in under 30 minutes.



I loosely followed Art Smith's (Back toThe Table) recipe:
Preheat oven to 350. Saute some veggies of your choice (tonight it was sundried tomatoes, grated zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and a dash of  Italian seasoning), beat 8 eggs, add in some Parmesan cheese (a handful or so), pour the eggs/cheese over the veggies and let set for 3 minutes, then pop in oven for 15 minutes. Voila!

Here's another recipe: http://zucchini-fritatta.com/index.html

*******************************************************************
While in Whole Foods this evening gathering my frittata ingredients, I thought I'd pick up some chocolate for dessert. They were out of my favorite, the Chocopologie Hawaiian Sea Salt and Burnt Caramel, but Michelle very kindly (and unexpectedly!) comped me some local (Raleigh) sea salt caramel truffles by Azurelise and they are delightful. I need to write Whole Foods and mention her outstanding customer service.

****************************************************************


Zoos and Tattoos

Last weekend brought a trip to the NC Zoo in Ashboro.

Confession #1: My expectation was pretty low.
Unfairly, the expectation was something along the lines of a gas station zoo with pacing cats, poo flinging monkeys, and bear baiting on the side.
But I was so wrong. There was not one cage. They don't have a plethora of animals, but the ones they have are all in quasi-natural environments, or as close as the North Carolina countryside  can come to a savanna (or savannah) in Africa or the forests of Madagascar. After walking close to seven miles, we still had not seen all of the North American portion of the zoo.
All four gorillas were out; the silverback was a particularly handsome and noble looking fellow. Hanging out in the sun with his three girls.
There seemed to be plenty of zoo folks around to stop ijits (there's always at least one) from annoying the animals with dangling bananas and such.

Confession #2: Some folks don't know a monkey (baboon) from an ape* (gorilla, chimpanzee). Fair enough. But how about someone telling their child to look at the monkey - and it's a LEMUR!?
You know what? I judge them. (okay, I judge those other people too.)

Dear god in heaven - at least read the sign. Don't pass your ignoramus-ness down to your children.


The aviary was fantastic, plus we had a break from hearing about "monkeys". These pictures are from the interwebz, but we saw each of them in the flesh:
Victoria Crowned Pigeon

Scarlett Ibis
Red Capped Cardinal

And these little brilliant green birds:
Blue-winged Leafbird
I would love to go back in the fall when the weather's cooler (and it's not Earth Day) and do the whole thing.

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On the tattoo front, I finally! got in to see Kathryn at Dogstar Tattoo last Tuesday. Paid my $50 drawing fee and go back in a month to see what she's come up with. A raven on a white oak tree branch is the plan.
I am really excited about it.

Tattoo'd Girls by Wylie Hunter & The Cazadores
http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=86514321&ac=now

"Oooh Lord you know
I love me some tattooed girls
Between their inkstained skin
and their mischievous grins
You know they're givin' my head a whirl"

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* Did you know the gibbon is the only ape with a tail?

April 13, 2012

Music







"Youth" 
by Daughter


Shadows settle on the place, that you left.
Our minds are troubled by the emptiness.
Destroy the middle, it's a waste of time.
From the perfect start to the finish line.

And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones.
'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs.
Setting fire to our insides for fun
collecting names of the lovers that went wrong
the lovers that went wrong.

We are the reckless,
we are the wild youth
chasing visions of our futures
one day we'll reveal the truth
that one will die before he gets there.

And if you're still bleeding, you're the lucky ones.
'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone.
We're setting fire to our insides for fun.
Collecting pictures from the flood that wrecked our home,
It was a flood that wrecked this...

...and you caused it...
...and you caused it...
...and you caused it...

Well I've lost it all, I'm just a silouhette,
A lifeless face that you'll soon forget,
My eyes are damp from the words you left,
ringing in my head, when you broke my chest.
ringing in my head, when you broke my chest.

And if you're in love, then you are the lucky one,
'cause most of us are bitter over someone.
Setting fire to our insides for fun,
to distract our hearts from ever missing them.
but I'm forever missing him.

and you caused it,
and you caused it,
and you caused it.



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Slightly more uplifting - you can listen to an entire album from the Portland, Oregon band Horse Feathers here (I listened three times and pre-bought it on Amazon):


http://www.npr.org/2012/04/08/149850614/first-listen-horse-feathers-cynics-new-year?ps=mh_fl