tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24566410881737597222024-02-01T21:47:55.217-05:00the birds and the z'slife in a treehouseUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-88432525619691877772011-03-02T09:57:00.014-05:002011-03-03T09:51:34.145-05:00Silence: A ProjectThe last few months, I've embarked on a sort of maniacal self-education campaign. My job has been evolving, I've been taking on more violin students, <a href="http://www.thenewempires.com/">the band</a> is alive and kicking, I am running a (teensy) <a href="http://causerie.etsy.com/">craft business</a>, I have gigs to play, I find myself reading voraciously* in spare hours, and if I have to stop reading long enough to make dinner, well, I might as well try out <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/">new recipes and techniques</a>. And I am trying to learn as much as can about all of these areas, because I can and I want to. It feels a little bit like being in school...only the pressure is entirely self-imposed, and I set the requirements. If I were to write out my current course listing, it might look something like this:<br /><br />-Literature You Should Have Read in Highschool and College (If it Hadn't Been for Poor Teachers, Family Crises, and Music Performance Degrees)<br />-Gourmet Cooking in a Hurry<br />-Starting a Violin Studio 101<br />-Crash Course in Church Communications ("Hello, You Are Now the Communications Director")<br />-Performing and Promoting Quality Indie Rock<br /><br />I feel completely alive. I feel myself growing branches and roots (and hopefully some fruit, too). I've never read Kerouac or Dostoevsky or Orwell before, believe it or not. I've never thought so deeply about what it means to be a Christian living outwardly in the heart of a city as now. I've never been able to pull off such good pot roast or cupcakes in my life. And I have absolutely no spaces in my day that are not filled.<br /><br />I'm realizing that I also need to take a crash course in <span style="font-style: italic;">silence</span>. Silence without a book in hand or a skillet on the stove or a timer ticking or an album playing in the background. Silence for centering, listening, praying, and waiting. It's a strange project for a musician's to-do list. But I think it's what's been missing.<br /><br />*<span style="font-style: italic;">In the last eight weeks I've read...</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">The Canterbury Tales – Geoffrey Chaucer</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">The Next Christians – Gabe Lyons</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Pavilion of Women – Pearl Buck</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Persuasion – Jane Austen</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />War of the Worlds – H.G. Wells</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />When Helping Hurts – Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Wise Blood – Flannery O’Connor</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />1984 – George Orwell</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />The Swan House – Elizabeth Musser</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath<br />The Cellist of Sarajevo – Steven Galloway</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Animal Farm – George Orwell</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />On the Road – Jack Kerouac</span> <br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky (in progress</span>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-16115743462657744052011-01-07T13:54:00.004-05:002011-01-24T10:16:00.783-05:00A Reading ListOff the top of my head, I've come up with a list of the books that I read in two thousand and ten (though I'm sure there were others that have slipped my mind). Anyway, it's an average of about one book every two weeks. Not bad, considering it was an insanely busy year.<br /><br />The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde<br />Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte<br />The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David <span style="visibility: visible;" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search">Wroblewski</span></span><br />The Good Earth - Pearl Buck<br />Bel Canto - Ann Patchett<br />Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff & Johnson<br />Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte<br />The Road - Cormac McCarthy<br />Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis<br />Long Day's Journey Into Night - Eugene O'Neill<br />The Jungle Books - Rudyard Kipling<br />The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri<br />Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri<br />Death at La Fenice - Donna Leon<br />Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss<br />The Maytrees - Annie Dillard<br />The Supper of the Lamb - <span style="visibility: visible;" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search"> Robert Farrar Capon<br />The Help - Kathryn Stockett<br /></span></span>The Book Thief - Markus Zusak<br />Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh<br />Fearfully and Wonderfully Made - Yancey & Brand<br />The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay - Michael Chabon<br />My Life in France - Julia Child<br />Girl With the Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier<br />The Optimist's Daughter - Eudora WeltyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-67612358321283628582011-01-02T15:59:00.016-05:002011-01-07T13:54:30.038-05:00My mom and I spent Thanksgiving weekend sorting through boxes upon boxes of Christmas ornaments from her attic, picking out ones that we wanted to use on each of our 2010 trees. I discovered all of my grandmother's vintage ornaments and carted them home to Atlanta, and subsequently the trimming of the Z's tree developed into a study in vintage-y textures and colors. A few spools of lace, some strings of beads from my jewelry drawer, one pearled garland, inexpensive fuzzy yarn (looped and knotted), tiny vintage knickknacks gathered from around the house, and all of the fat little birds I could find, all nestled into the boughs, and voila!...a very vintage tree.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlZJcUHlYJdtAU6vyQnzdeMNln0-nLyTiUJxGCkiZEMMRX7eTPGXGjCLY_8D2db26zoB_yPagl6r8K1-v_MGcGLqtVzEgkxLE_hGWQK9GAPiP1PbWP4bJXXUfL03mxgTlAGQGwjxyOdow/s1600/IMG_9484.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlZJcUHlYJdtAU6vyQnzdeMNln0-nLyTiUJxGCkiZEMMRX7eTPGXGjCLY_8D2db26zoB_yPagl6r8K1-v_MGcGLqtVzEgkxLE_hGWQK9GAPiP1PbWP4bJXXUfL03mxgTlAGQGwjxyOdow/s400/IMG_9484.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557699983510866482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckKJA6cbhOY6HGTkr3gvILUaq2LtHwpc98wRejOdwospb4pAxu1S_QfpK-6EYFwJkXuJyiRVfpCo7FZdjmrRtNEOFA2VqYj4souFaGe7DV3wGjDYbBP9NvoxIkezuTssvt9XUiRwTKLbV/s1600/IMG_9476.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWM0pTJCPYPtn4UcUd35i_w-iFtwr6VuG_LeP8beV0BwT-vYpGmn-yNShJbb4iakBkonmrb1X1KPswiNWXp5WNZUalqXE7RzR0VvHpV9OXkCbQ81FpibveKbsl1qUvUND8RheYw-pOi-E/s400/IMG_7223.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557716913454386338" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyI4Pon-8X-nNCoC2t8Tti32VrkoAakdrUA-MMo2uojZdFLdEZM-WYyMquWFg-puz6hE3HJjQfbcfeyETpzgoeeVPoSa_CdI8_lnglkO6juKjIktXDfraxwj-rks0sWb5a8RapdDSp6Vh/s1600/IMG_9475.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsyI4Pon-8X-nNCoC2t8Tti32VrkoAakdrUA-MMo2uojZdFLdEZM-WYyMquWFg-puz6hE3HJjQfbcfeyETpzgoeeVPoSa_CdI8_lnglkO6juKjIktXDfraxwj-rks0sWb5a8RapdDSp6Vh/s400/IMG_9475.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557699479244060674" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv63DRa0Wl0R0q9PixHnfQAZqgDS76fNGZ2Xge698kcMntHiEcFFDKN77XsxMMRiaDKLVQdycxcIwAHA-XMebdATJhJrUhDamWroQ4Mwm_mOyT884l29ThpUtdIPpHdt1sVWrcKAQOoEKn/s1600/IMG_9441.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv63DRa0Wl0R0q9PixHnfQAZqgDS76fNGZ2Xge698kcMntHiEcFFDKN77XsxMMRiaDKLVQdycxcIwAHA-XMebdATJhJrUhDamWroQ4Mwm_mOyT884l29ThpUtdIPpHdt1sVWrcKAQOoEKn/s400/IMG_9441.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557698639261554098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6NNAoaEc-1CrEjRWFApwHRT5ApVcpqtFuc6LV9YTjQOGuwXBpxhz98TE9VQN__f9D2vHRfKfxuJGeQMpT2qp6y0Vnf97zGtzf3CRQO1w9TXUhuV8Xx8n_gvDhLgrMHTfxdtGNtke2373/s1600/IMG_9438.JPG"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Nr56hcbJeEy5ErIU4HZL2A1mErwtd2UjnYegTTQR9XgMmDqy_4PxwEZVOBsCEFbb47b7ZuYUC11DDq3-c0OFB-SLGZE2FWl6LP40x7nPVV3q2cCcGuzHAFKtM2tmeWaRKV45CLVeVf4y/s1600/IMG_9457.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Nr56hcbJeEy5ErIU4HZL2A1mErwtd2UjnYegTTQR9XgMmDqy_4PxwEZVOBsCEFbb47b7ZuYUC11DDq3-c0OFB-SLGZE2FWl6LP40x7nPVV3q2cCcGuzHAFKtM2tmeWaRKV45CLVeVf4y/s400/IMG_9457.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557699065899958226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xNeVdmLzC4KdE5qJ9XW1urfxpOLtwC8q4d3jatC9dfJzDn9T42L-xb3HA2kZYANCthTfqauKy5xAFJ16M45Wx38u5z8Fa8HTKb9xezTQRTvk-m02X-pI64nlwDe2x0e_aED4QSFYdQTg/s1600/IMG_9438.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xNeVdmLzC4KdE5qJ9XW1urfxpOLtwC8q4d3jatC9dfJzDn9T42L-xb3HA2kZYANCthTfqauKy5xAFJ16M45Wx38u5z8Fa8HTKb9xezTQRTvk-m02X-pI64nlwDe2x0e_aED4QSFYdQTg/s400/IMG_9438.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557704867388252962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRI9O_9CiBg_aGN8AduzYWLAkS2qrFtxNPMfeLnP0LO-xFBy9v2W6OH25QHafLM1_4d3dfttwn4Re-figRIoeQRAFzzf7-Qnw6y3Zo-C9Zv4zdB0z3GJpXw6GVLJNpjFi2BFeLnLYKyM2R/s1600/IMG_9470.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRI9O_9CiBg_aGN8AduzYWLAkS2qrFtxNPMfeLnP0LO-xFBy9v2W6OH25QHafLM1_4d3dfttwn4Re-figRIoeQRAFzzf7-Qnw6y3Zo-C9Zv4zdB0z3GJpXw6GVLJNpjFi2BFeLnLYKyM2R/s400/IMG_9470.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557702289176674194" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WIW_y-LkCA0NOye4mg2_DbQrVgalCcSxOjxLAhTnzZY97bnNj65fijsaJTILAzfKQkZ6XDcghYcDrCNN63inVIuIaDR752VkJBdDL1gj7rTvSU-8ph3xDMdOfgb1vF1izF2Iowe4sda8/s1600/IMG_7235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WIW_y-LkCA0NOye4mg2_DbQrVgalCcSxOjxLAhTnzZY97bnNj65fijsaJTILAzfKQkZ6XDcghYcDrCNN63inVIuIaDR752VkJBdDL1gj7rTvSU-8ph3xDMdOfgb1vF1izF2Iowe4sda8/s400/IMG_7235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557716920904015778" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-57689402595950483552010-11-11T15:00:00.008-05:002010-11-11T16:30:37.356-05:00The New Year...It's coming. I know it's only early November, but at work I'm already planning twenty eleven. And so it feels like it is already twenty eleven. Plus, I can never keep track of the date. Plus, I love calendars and I think they should be nice to look at since they're the main thing I look at every day, besides my computer screen and my fingernails. And so I have created some for my office.<br /><br />Which reminds me, since we're on the subject of time passing...countdown to NYC = 4 days.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFU6eVED1p1pUMSCUegFSXhVcLzXMnDVsCnxHk-Vfxa39y1CO5maDKyKghxNInrzzj_bR1NPN4t-ITQEx-XHhYivUlzGwgIZ_gB5u-7pEUlnafWf-_NO5G0IzGDt75tW4X7IhfFzsNgQh/s1600/2011+Calendar+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFU6eVED1p1pUMSCUegFSXhVcLzXMnDVsCnxHk-Vfxa39y1CO5maDKyKghxNInrzzj_bR1NPN4t-ITQEx-XHhYivUlzGwgIZ_gB5u-7pEUlnafWf-_NO5G0IzGDt75tW4X7IhfFzsNgQh/s400/2011+Calendar+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538396034702532050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1yiuAfeNdZ_GrDKv9KPIAxFh_COG_zvB9NewLsIFlhDsJRlzf1khD9eITyC2ZDvdoXCIKyCyB0fvaGm-ygtxIWmpfp4JuR8AMtqEyhudN6hxOCaLYVGDuMlaupRgsVkiJIrEF9VXLt7j/s1600/2011+Calendar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP1yiuAfeNdZ_GrDKv9KPIAxFh_COG_zvB9NewLsIFlhDsJRlzf1khD9eITyC2ZDvdoXCIKyCyB0fvaGm-ygtxIWmpfp4JuR8AMtqEyhudN6hxOCaLYVGDuMlaupRgsVkiJIrEF9VXLt7j/s400/2011+Calendar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538384867803361410" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-69019576310149892062010-11-04T11:50:00.004-04:002010-11-04T11:59:38.216-04:00What the mail brings<div style="text-align: center;">Why, hello. Will you accompany me on a plane?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9Bnx2byh3ApQ8ouHMPIn8QhOnv-WlFzwh5Ck3KdZ7vNQTTpo3e-LHRfHi1OFGky0ANiYmccASAbR-ztDnam3MoBfAQRmsVVKyq2vG7bkRBHeeCx_fN3wZd1c0C25pAjaoestlGWQCBq3/s1600/973855_049_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9Bnx2byh3ApQ8ouHMPIn8QhOnv-WlFzwh5Ck3KdZ7vNQTTpo3e-LHRfHi1OFGky0ANiYmccASAbR-ztDnam3MoBfAQRmsVVKyq2vG7bkRBHeeCx_fN3wZd1c0C25pAjaoestlGWQCBq3/s320/973855_049_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535722678549910306" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-22298826224544458822010-10-29T14:08:00.003-04:002010-10-29T14:32:51.586-04:00A delightful little recipe<div style="text-align: center;">Autumn weather,<br />Thank you for showing up in time for our pumpkin cheescake and chai tea<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Late October </span>evening indulgence.<br />It would have been wrong to partake of such spices<br />In eighty five degree weather.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMChMIKqkIM3rQgibdNL2VquCeKSESpIQmr42fTzDbfocZhruvsuWxrFf94uJRlED1G_Y3InwWHICkbMnEwjHN5LweAChwOauN4A7MM-cpw7uzQDbqWgcizl78AQDobZra88ktJ_aV-CWr/s1600/IMG_9373.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMChMIKqkIM3rQgibdNL2VquCeKSESpIQmr42fTzDbfocZhruvsuWxrFf94uJRlED1G_Y3InwWHICkbMnEwjHN5LweAChwOauN4A7MM-cpw7uzQDbqWgcizl78AQDobZra88ktJ_aV-CWr/s320/IMG_9373.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533531738491292690" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Pumpkin-Cheesecake-107190">http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Pumpkin-Cheesecake-107190</a><br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-54723326834547410532010-10-25T18:52:00.005-04:002010-10-25T21:03:12.618-04:00Don't you love New York in the fall?<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJTA1lyDVZkFuvb5gdXYT3ZQKTfs6xq1BgUXVa_gITCi4WDTlkCZ_yHaneWo1EMb5kDP1WJJCkxpHTGgoPTfZkECdaKV3702_SzV6qBxyVBxMpFdAKbJ4idSVAYp7sui2smm-nWQyQ6RZ/s1600/Copy+of+IMG_7056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDJTA1lyDVZkFuvb5gdXYT3ZQKTfs6xq1BgUXVa_gITCi4WDTlkCZ_yHaneWo1EMb5kDP1WJJCkxpHTGgoPTfZkECdaKV3702_SzV6qBxyVBxMpFdAKbJ4idSVAYp7sui2smm-nWQyQ6RZ/s320/Copy+of+IMG_7056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532052350382098290" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwSOZpdd5MIPn0j4DuS0D0Px60_Tx9iQ0uhHcMXsW0tM4lRC5t4PdMXn7njghAZRTpMN1S4yZKK8aTeo-dAmLQtKmC-9NjgLL53FDLW09Zs3OBDxYV-54gfA4uAZ9wYWWiM8DFa7AsZYF/s1600/Copy+of+IMG_7034.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwSOZpdd5MIPn0j4DuS0D0Px60_Tx9iQ0uhHcMXsW0tM4lRC5t4PdMXn7njghAZRTpMN1S4yZKK8aTeo-dAmLQtKmC-9NjgLL53FDLW09Zs3OBDxYV-54gfA4uAZ9wYWWiM8DFa7AsZYF/s320/Copy+of+IMG_7034.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532049386579654498" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlSrjS2_taOQ1Uc8MeXT2_jIHyjHymdto4TAVKn9d-lnAixc9CRpqZ85cb5f9ebi4hKRoH59M2mnBxhNeCtuOmcvHYFuRhjhfDVRZNGUuW4VXTKbtQMCgjSUwm4rnORyxX6-tQkRGvHwj/s1600/Copy+of+IMG_7035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlSrjS2_taOQ1Uc8MeXT2_jIHyjHymdto4TAVKn9d-lnAixc9CRpqZ85cb5f9ebi4hKRoH59M2mnBxhNeCtuOmcvHYFuRhjhfDVRZNGUuW4VXTKbtQMCgjSUwm4rnORyxX6-tQkRGvHwj/s320/Copy+of+IMG_7035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532049041892197250" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriUICnUW4HcUVfyO3zdEQ-PxGmxZnrBzd7elk_dnScQOCl3dvPILzCT3sFwxpu27R02Z_kddFf3Of1smG-6AOAevLwW6OY4cSNNwO7flzpkf-kANRregi_thMbOYe9oQDRe3f11VD0Cvh/s1600/Copy+of+IMG_7048.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriUICnUW4HcUVfyO3zdEQ-PxGmxZnrBzd7elk_dnScQOCl3dvPILzCT3sFwxpu27R02Z_kddFf3Of1smG-6AOAevLwW6OY4cSNNwO7flzpkf-kANRregi_thMbOYe9oQDRe3f11VD0Cvh/s320/Copy+of+IMG_7048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532051430550426786" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxmKdh8nNfzKT13IA9R-txKWH2zD9H08jII2EQiyTjuoeAh5sMm5G3spRZlpT_F0tvFw6-gmim8kFywoXL9t3YQWaBCXNyu7CTxL3axpTi1Y7sJo4_QNO9qJL6mnFy4DxDiysPN5ybAtC/s1600/Copy+%282%29+of+IMG_7049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyxmKdh8nNfzKT13IA9R-txKWH2zD9H08jII2EQiyTjuoeAh5sMm5G3spRZlpT_F0tvFw6-gmim8kFywoXL9t3YQWaBCXNyu7CTxL3axpTi1Y7sJo4_QNO9qJL6mnFy4DxDiysPN5ybAtC/s320/Copy+%282%29+of+IMG_7049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532051274653737842" border="0" /></a>It makes me want to buy school supplies.<br />I would give you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils...<br /><br />{It's been one year too long. New York, here we come.}<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-9247246894821555432010-10-25T13:02:00.000-04:002010-10-25T13:06:13.271-04:00Nineteen Sixty FourThe idea of the NY World's Fair has always lingered around the back of my mind as a subject of intrigue and mystery. When I was a kid, on our annual autumn visits to New York, we would drive through Queens, past the abandoned fairgrounds in Flushing Meadows, and see the eerie skeletons of the massive Unisphere, the UFO-like observation towers, the gigantic New York State Pavilion. And my mom would tell us stories about the awe and glamour of the fair, the lights, the technology, the latest and greatest feats of the modern mind...all reduced to a collection of ruins in a grayish park. I just came across a souvenir from one of her visits to the fair, and for me, it brings back all of the fascination of driving past the ruins...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNqM8V5lEpbN6jP8k4P76zj19hg5wZDEvsCkWIJR3ryiUhqC3rFTWO86iXKcr6WVYQvvKawXaNHJclH-jAs1Ql-ta2ZSE2x4MF11DSkagPGoRYJvfqYI-JD9pweYc0HyyE5ZFbGNFyamJ/s1600/34273_407587667905_832222905_4359241_1796899_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNqM8V5lEpbN6jP8k4P76zj19hg5wZDEvsCkWIJR3ryiUhqC3rFTWO86iXKcr6WVYQvvKawXaNHJclH-jAs1Ql-ta2ZSE2x4MF11DSkagPGoRYJvfqYI-JD9pweYc0HyyE5ZFbGNFyamJ/s400/34273_407587667905_832222905_4359241_1796899_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527984276975896818" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2-RYzyVCQ8CZLQKQs1BBcRgXve-K48u78sZKp37uH2PpX1adKgnsvvmQo1JVFHja-bRf3RN8J0Onx5fXmvsLT5jK7HnRSLxlEdfkRFBeDsnJjlpMnkL679xsNLMOeJfuQxvIpsc3CO3R/s1600/george-silk-new-york-worlds-fair-may-1-1964.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2-RYzyVCQ8CZLQKQs1BBcRgXve-K48u78sZKp37uH2PpX1adKgnsvvmQo1JVFHja-bRf3RN8J0Onx5fXmvsLT5jK7HnRSLxlEdfkRFBeDsnJjlpMnkL679xsNLMOeJfuQxvIpsc3CO3R/s320/george-silk-new-york-worlds-fair-may-1-1964.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527991288020613362" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhee6Tm-dZRryfp1UYCbWLsAS6s-s9mscXuk4Nr4NoNYx0VZukY_nVt2xuw4Y7sS3MI8D7fkXkFqGQIDpq6m8D3iNkNISm0v5h3l52HGkEInEOawBl80T-xgwRcpFx9qZn8UTR6qgp9cEzw/s1600/536px-New_York_Worlds_Fairgrounds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhee6Tm-dZRryfp1UYCbWLsAS6s-s9mscXuk4Nr4NoNYx0VZukY_nVt2xuw4Y7sS3MI8D7fkXkFqGQIDpq6m8D3iNkNISm0v5h3l52HGkEInEOawBl80T-xgwRcpFx9qZn8UTR6qgp9cEzw/s320/536px-New_York_Worlds_Fairgrounds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527991418925435138" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-1199373160507857762010-10-19T09:01:00.000-04:002010-10-19T10:03:47.313-04:00A making-overBefore... (a $5 yard sale find with dysfunctional doors that Jordan talked me into)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rsrDnrn5dGx9cdE1e2_AshkLkbaKyqTax-Q09BtqYeEp4wW8bQnJO4M1QSSvpShGMnSoJtI65yNCOjsgMgbxoJtkvxvbsUeckzBBCf68EsAeErRqQPB33uNxHrc0CnimDXqrGwey2dFj/s1600/57927_521598087560_146900178_30853117_1120072_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rsrDnrn5dGx9cdE1e2_AshkLkbaKyqTax-Q09BtqYeEp4wW8bQnJO4M1QSSvpShGMnSoJtI65yNCOjsgMgbxoJtkvxvbsUeckzBBCf68EsAeErRqQPB33uNxHrc0CnimDXqrGwey2dFj/s320/57927_521598087560_146900178_30853117_1120072_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527981698741476402" border="0" /></a>After...<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcb1OI1DR-pLM8mRVWHy0aG3AjdVWQ4V06NmFkJNmlW_fpKAqvoAIcrLxPmBdyzoliq-iHE40GE4HJyGqFDSGAlbAlaZ1cZwkzAQ8GKcDLv-kHi434GbP1NN_BjrlT35kGXgV7fA0KNiA1/s1600/58198_521598222290_146900178_30853120_6239237_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcb1OI1DR-pLM8mRVWHy0aG3AjdVWQ4V06NmFkJNmlW_fpKAqvoAIcrLxPmBdyzoliq-iHE40GE4HJyGqFDSGAlbAlaZ1cZwkzAQ8GKcDLv-kHi434GbP1NN_BjrlT35kGXgV7fA0KNiA1/s320/58198_521598222290_146900178_30853120_6239237_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527982036671511730" border="0" /></a>Furniture: $5. Paint: $10. Fabric: $13 (the big splurge, from Whipstitch). Dowel: $1. Total = $29.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirb3c9QmyQdKSXNFmK-OyUy1elzXV0ag_OdR8VcedjYB7R5tBDn6T-B_9_QVe8jfdJNAkTT_uTiglWUlQqCTGZ75_vAE9FIZj2dvghB_60fAnTwRyW4TZCE2LMRDGCgC3owgn-tHdBxfOL/s1600/59452_521598207320_146900178_30853119_6728811_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirb3c9QmyQdKSXNFmK-OyUy1elzXV0ag_OdR8VcedjYB7R5tBDn6T-B_9_QVe8jfdJNAkTT_uTiglWUlQqCTGZ75_vAE9FIZj2dvghB_60fAnTwRyW4TZCE2LMRDGCgC3owgn-tHdBxfOL/s320/59452_521598207320_146900178_30853119_6728811_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529756759089214290" border="0" /></a>My husband has some good sense.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-67748055292547581212010-10-14T14:15:00.010-04:002010-10-22T09:55:22.135-04:00fridge + guestbook + listmaker + notetakerThe house we live in was built in 1910 and then renovated in the 80's to create three complete living spaces out of one gigantic Midtown mansion. It's about the coziest, quirkiest place I've ever come across in Atlanta, which made it a no-brainer for us (it's also surrounded by a canopy of huge old trees and feels more like a log cabin/treehouse, hence the title of this blog--incidentally). However, our apartment, for all of its character and charm (of which it has much), still has a few minor cringe-inducing elements that I am slowly working on eliminating / updating / making more tolerable...and that without pouring much money into a place that we're only renting. One such element that has recently undergone an extreme makeover is our fridge.<br /><br />Such a poor, ugly leftover of the 80's, it was...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUEVI_qu01K_jJ0w2DZQ5hMsXSlGM400JabC3gG_KYLCQXrH6UOQgQa_ek7QPBtSbvYzYDT5qroQKNF-hhzxBtTcLbRSVAItePXTQrdavDDdfI3Q01FDSZ1f-0TYtKrJyszeUzdwiD8R1/s1600/45611_521465692880_146900178_30850543_1056371_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUEVI_qu01K_jJ0w2DZQ5hMsXSlGM400JabC3gG_KYLCQXrH6UOQgQa_ek7QPBtSbvYzYDT5qroQKNF-hhzxBtTcLbRSVAItePXTQrdavDDdfI3Q01FDSZ1f-0TYtKrJyszeUzdwiD8R1/s320/45611_521465692880_146900178_30850543_1056371_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527967822122548818" border="0" /></a>Primer (a household staple we always keep around) + chalboard paint ($10 at Home Depot) =<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BQHA7tneDkhkKiTz1ALV79VI5w0aIpW99NTm0dLs0mKBzhnwf8hvshtUo3-u7Fyq2rskox56nMdENFbK0aVQFaRn5gSRdMKzpEVN35toWAB56ckSAxmH34T2r9ASG9Z6KiQDfj3JeaCu/s1600/46462_521465712840_146900178_30850544_7301032_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BQHA7tneDkhkKiTz1ALV79VI5w0aIpW99NTm0dLs0mKBzhnwf8hvshtUo3-u7Fyq2rskox56nMdENFbK0aVQFaRn5gSRdMKzpEVN35toWAB56ckSAxmH34T2r9ASG9Z6KiQDfj3JeaCu/s320/46462_521465712840_146900178_30850544_7301032_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527967298991430738" border="0" /></a>Voila! Goodbye, ugly old thing. Hello, massive chalkboard, and welcome to our kitchen.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSDg23RZ0wFEdcsGhM0EJht1vm3lfmW-QAIP0J-sRxN42ziWHDkP3zfEWOp6MiaXlPqKu6Bj_uKip9qrLqynLMC3k87WlrUz1nlcEaMi3yBjUGiHlV0wfrwEgT5x9bRFmwfsdiBfm_vur/s1600/45143_521465772720_146900178_30850546_2562932_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSDg23RZ0wFEdcsGhM0EJht1vm3lfmW-QAIP0J-sRxN42ziWHDkP3zfEWOp6MiaXlPqKu6Bj_uKip9qrLqynLMC3k87WlrUz1nlcEaMi3yBjUGiHlV0wfrwEgT5x9bRFmwfsdiBfm_vur/s320/45143_521465772720_146900178_30850546_2562932_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527967401112333666" border="0" /></a>(Obviously, things have gotten a bit out of control.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc1TnHCbU_Lmm2guowRdlJSfWMCmqGj1gTdt-YFjYF8oaSvFNKNKQuXGdv5Zm0Pct4-Y3rQAFntnMPrplWGTg9a9tb_8ZQ1Gwp5ZDFs-LekL690zncNFAbg8QoKL_WiY7PfS0B7cko-w9/s1600/IMG_9364.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEc1TnHCbU_Lmm2guowRdlJSfWMCmqGj1gTdt-YFjYF8oaSvFNKNKQuXGdv5Zm0Pct4-Y3rQAFntnMPrplWGTg9a9tb_8ZQ1Gwp5ZDFs-LekL690zncNFAbg8QoKL_WiY7PfS0B7cko-w9/s320/IMG_9364.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530868442673159602" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-18975534743725517502010-10-05T13:41:00.006-04:002010-10-06T13:24:52.220-04:00Together.Now presenting...the first in a line of cards/prints that are due to appear in my etsy shop sometime in the next one to seventy years, when I get it together:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJW4aUEhHfwz5E1Gd1gNqrV7xwUcgsSbQ-iwm-07iRD7b8mAe_YB2OGpAZpU-N0O4awkqi-w7XHt58WSnfguMv3DcqdUz5-K_7B2b9wfULE-ZJhDdUjdMOLD4v2WI5M9npBpAUwVP6lAbC/s1600/Together+with+text.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 323px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJW4aUEhHfwz5E1Gd1gNqrV7xwUcgsSbQ-iwm-07iRD7b8mAe_YB2OGpAZpU-N0O4awkqi-w7XHt58WSnfguMv3DcqdUz5-K_7B2b9wfULE-ZJhDdUjdMOLD4v2WI5M9npBpAUwVP6lAbC/s400/Together+with+text.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524618804856993442" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxWiTBrUvtLCfdRqm_tBtlm0_N8aVR99qi5WI2-bl5W-JtZhedfRDkY67bPn35TG-ddxxQ4F5nq4nkd-xgw2J5GClT8h_V3N0C2T5WJNeTnsaaMZzgQL1O3qgbt2bgRo3mBNLA_FaXfUk/s1600/Cake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 323px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxWiTBrUvtLCfdRqm_tBtlm0_N8aVR99qi5WI2-bl5W-JtZhedfRDkY67bPn35TG-ddxxQ4F5nq4nkd-xgw2J5GClT8h_V3N0C2T5WJNeTnsaaMZzgQL1O3qgbt2bgRo3mBNLA_FaXfUk/s400/Cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524985108646765746" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-34904458915633838592010-09-13T15:22:00.005-04:002010-09-13T16:10:56.557-04:00To New YorkIn honor of the fact that in two (2) months and eight (8) days I will be in NYC, here is a roundup of some lovely + functional tributes to the greatest city on earth (and yes...I have plane tickets!).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIEprV0RPkd1Zw7lzTyjyL6iLSnwTwNUrb3jKWdnrxYaWphngtEZbfpS7q-yRBZ5a_CjoTP3T_V7vpbquAFHfTsxLes4Pi_Rk1nGNJPcsVpm1BvXq-UKttZCjq1uiD7YQoRzvy0BhpPlM/s1600/Picture1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIEprV0RPkd1Zw7lzTyjyL6iLSnwTwNUrb3jKWdnrxYaWphngtEZbfpS7q-yRBZ5a_CjoTP3T_V7vpbquAFHfTsxLes4Pi_Rk1nGNJPcsVpm1BvXq-UKttZCjq1uiD7YQoRzvy0BhpPlM/s400/Picture1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516482169223306290" border="0" /></a>1. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/53011274/framed-11x14-new-york-city-print-on-wood?ref=sr_gallery_18&ga_search_query=new+york+city&ga_search_type=category&category=housewares&ga_page=2&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title">11x14 New York City Print on wood</a> 2. <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=073277&navAction=jump&search=true&parentid=SEARCH_RESULTS">New York Tourists Calendar</a> 3. <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=063159&navAction=jump&search=true&parentid=SEARCH_RESULTS">Garvey Chair</a> 4. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/53130444/brooklyn-bridge-architectural-floursack?ref=sr_gallery_18&ga_search_query=new+york+city&ga_search_type=category&category=housewares&ga_page=2&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title">Brooklyn Bridge Architectural Floursack Towels</a> 5. <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/55143749/nyc-maps-4-piece-magnet-set?ref=sr_gallery_38&ga_search_query=new+york+city&ga_search_type=category&category=housewares&ga_page=1&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title">NYC Maps 4 Piece Magnet Set</a><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguYzjDbnJgoGrE6M_JOIo21xhhFVE-TrhhjG5oPafMqQRGKdoPmj9P0OA_ig99O4w5Mn39tuImno5CVfsmgS9TZ98c8G0eU6_IRv7jUNuwab015T7k25DpMy6BWTaTyRGRvyyj3rtsEwyS/s1600/Picture1.jpg"><br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-81883236538023439982010-08-17T15:06:00.011-04:002010-09-08T10:06:06.838-04:00Nothing in ModerationA couple of weeks ago, during my bi-monthly scouring of the thrift store two blocks from my house, I picked up a few Reader's Digest condensed books with awesome, retro fabric covers ($.75 each). I had never seen them before, and they are beautiful books! Apparently, Reader's Digest printed them quarterly from 1950-1997, with different stories and cover fabrics, and sent them to all their patrons. And now, mounds of them are turning up in thrift stores (and yes, I have to admit, I also once saw an Anthropologie display made from them). Last week, my amazing engineer husband and I made a <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/53633299/readers-refuge-lamp">lamp</a> out of the books I had, and the product was so fabulous that I've been itching to get my hands on more of them.<br /><br />Well...be careful what you itch for. While in Chattanooga for a gig this past weekend, Steph and I spent some of our free Saturday thrifting, and I was hoping-hoping-hoping that America's Thrift would have some of the books. So, I looked up, and there was a small shelf with about 12 of them. And then I looked to the left and realized that the ENTIRE top shelf, which runs along the super long wall of the store, was full of them. For 25 cents each. So, we grabbed a shopping cart and started piling them on. The result: mounds and mounds of colorful vintage books -101 to be exact-, a whole lot of weird looks, and a very disgruntled checkout clerk. (I also scored a stack of various vintage books from the free bin at McKay and a stack of personal-reading-list-or-old-favorite books, also from McKay, that I couldn't help but purchase. But that's for a different post.)<br /><br />What could possibly be more satisfying than bringing home 117 new books? (Quick break for husband praise: Jordan did not kill me, or send me off to the Atlanta asylum, or roll his eyes. He laughed a lot and then commented on how much cash we'll get to split between us once we've made the books into awesome products and sold them. I definitely married the right guy.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8jKTKV-tWBOg4HdD_xDsfXpH0H9X9dhS3PkFdcHRLiRFFiwBTjTg_J3hs1U2xx5ASsrYAcBK-9M8Bgn8rV05dPFeNPJr-YkUTBm1DZ6ahXFnFSsBIyNWJvbW2ipIn8lDza0Gjs3_EMs9/s1600/Books.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8jKTKV-tWBOg4HdD_xDsfXpH0H9X9dhS3PkFdcHRLiRFFiwBTjTg_J3hs1U2xx5ASsrYAcBK-9M8Bgn8rV05dPFeNPJr-YkUTBm1DZ6ahXFnFSsBIyNWJvbW2ipIn8lDza0Gjs3_EMs9/s320/Books.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506458356906598466" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Soon to become...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStbbt8Jj5UXDiq1EpNNNubRtBgpSi1sLtxqW8TPAfaAqwk6uAkQ5e5E-I7gnbYedJuqUy5C5IxpWZLgPHBlEFewXVXbAi0pN2CDQwi3vzVp1ULBYLAppas3LZxgFpxTIF39AoFV0_6XJo/s1600/Book+Lamp+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStbbt8Jj5UXDiq1EpNNNubRtBgpSi1sLtxqW8TPAfaAqwk6uAkQ5e5E-I7gnbYedJuqUy5C5IxpWZLgPHBlEFewXVXbAi0pN2CDQwi3vzVp1ULBYLAppas3LZxgFpxTIF39AoFV0_6XJo/s320/Book+Lamp+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506457787506119218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I also have big plans for a coffee/reading table made of them...or maybe I'll just keep them in stacks around my house :).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Photos courtesy of Elise Ziegenbein Excessive Accumulation and Bibliophagism, Inc.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-84844199929810564942010-08-13T13:16:00.003-04:002010-08-13T13:29:58.375-04:00Experiments<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAWdnpqmc5ff0q1oohAyqhQHwcggmH_I0rceTFI6-AtIdFXIlJhWciDHxCQ6ZMQdFUnCr6eK9JVeHriodjnYTT8dHUZpHxYM2YvsO-aWcGkc2YharkVrf7nyYdnYJPu4hFxCxSgsaszgP/s1600/IMG_8979.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAWdnpqmc5ff0q1oohAyqhQHwcggmH_I0rceTFI6-AtIdFXIlJhWciDHxCQ6ZMQdFUnCr6eK9JVeHriodjnYTT8dHUZpHxYM2YvsO-aWcGkc2YharkVrf7nyYdnYJPu4hFxCxSgsaszgP/s320/IMG_8979.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504944650999618354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Between working full-time and my tendency to bite off more than I can chew in all the rest of life, the cooking muse tends to come and go. A few weeks off, a few weeks on...and so it goes. This week, however, the muse hit, and last night it resulted in a few new yummy concoctions. Grilled orzo salad + rosemary potato bakery bread + broiled strawberries with sour cream and caramelized brown sugar = happy foodies. (Visit the fabulous <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/07/raspberry-brown-sugar-gratin/">smittenkitchen</a> for the source of dessert inspiration. I substituted strawberries because rasperries are sinfully expensive, but it was a winner nevertheless.)<br /><br />For once, I wrote down what I put in the orzo salad and now here it is, preserved for posterity. I hope posterity likes fresh oregano.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Grilled Orzo Salad</span><br /><br />1 package orzo<br />juice of 1/2 lemon<br />3 tb. balsamic vinegar<br />6 tb. red wine vinegar<br />olive oil (enough to coat pasta)<br />several sprigs fresh oregano<br />small handful fresh basil leaves<br />2 tsp. Italian seasoning<br />1/4 cup grated romano cheese<br />salt and freshly ground pepper to taste<br />2 zucchini<br />2 red peppers<br />1 red onion<br />1/2 red cabbage, chopped<br />5-6 large cloves garlic<br /><br />Boil orzo in rapidly boiling, salted water for 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain thoroughly. Mince garlic and sautee in several tbsp of olive oil until fragrant; mix garlic & oil into pasta. Toss with additional olive oil until coated.<br /><br />Cut veggies into halves, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill on low heat for about 12 minutes, turning often. Chop finely and add to pasta.<br /><br />Add lemon juice, vinegars, spices, cheese, and cabbage, and toss.<br /><br />Serve with a delicious red wine and rosemary foccacia bread, if at all possible.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-84181793546978910202010-04-27T14:36:00.008-04:002010-04-27T15:06:21.531-04:00Taking matters into my own handsA few weeks ago we discovered that Brickstore Pub in Decatur has rock-your-face soft pretzels. But, sadly, Brickstore isn't super close to home, so we decided to explore closer options. We went to Five Seasons on the west side to see if the "5" shaped soft pretzel rumor was true. Our server <span style="font-style: italic;">said</span> it was true, but that they were all out. Then we tried another pub that had pretzels on the menu, ordered some, and received some grayish pretzels that were probably frozen for a year.<br /><br />So, I decided to take matters into my own hands.<br /><br />(Who knew that the secret to great soft pretzels is to poach them for 30 seconds in a bath of boiling water and baking soda? Find the recipe <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html">here</a>.)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Photos courtesy of Elise Ziegenbein Gourmet Pretzels and Pub Fare, LLC</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy200zr_XUpIhF4uWVb4pvPMQ04Zx5edDerPmvrH7SI_gDvj7i0CI4Xr2ZLdTthS4HW14UDFH_sHGYjmU9fUC3-1FgLOXKx0l-8ZvOqUQlc9nccIEgsIpar2AgRQyOKmFUW0pRTMvifP4J/s1600/IMG_7659.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy200zr_XUpIhF4uWVb4pvPMQ04Zx5edDerPmvrH7SI_gDvj7i0CI4Xr2ZLdTthS4HW14UDFH_sHGYjmU9fUC3-1FgLOXKx0l-8ZvOqUQlc9nccIEgsIpar2AgRQyOKmFUW0pRTMvifP4J/s320/IMG_7659.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464889681223013986" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rvfm1XF7GoVU0I52FDZ4MfourIOnm7IYZedpk2FFAjmkMeHek1p8HRHoWYhQG5222ac0lnfQPbUA265mD-mM1nuMwe69qAcSlIgJwGcYXm7D51h64RAMc2z3ayEgAa3X_MCakkf0ZfZJ/s1600/IMG_7660.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rvfm1XF7GoVU0I52FDZ4MfourIOnm7IYZedpk2FFAjmkMeHek1p8HRHoWYhQG5222ac0lnfQPbUA265mD-mM1nuMwe69qAcSlIgJwGcYXm7D51h64RAMc2z3ayEgAa3X_MCakkf0ZfZJ/s320/IMG_7660.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464890016209317698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqPdAXTF13eFReJcaclKKzyAv5XqaLPECO0R0ieo834gG3UhlxbpN8TegzwfDp0bMsyUPVQ07ds8cbpL-X8DSKeCJ8eKCcZ9WwbP1ODjmVZiJ5pBncyHeZgr9S9D2HMNcv8dqThRscq8v/s1600/IMG_7662.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWqPdAXTF13eFReJcaclKKzyAv5XqaLPECO0R0ieo834gG3UhlxbpN8TegzwfDp0bMsyUPVQ07ds8cbpL-X8DSKeCJ8eKCcZ9WwbP1ODjmVZiJ5pBncyHeZgr9S9D2HMNcv8dqThRscq8v/s320/IMG_7662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464890335070101618" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-28085573037675451942010-02-04T12:17:00.011-05:002010-02-04T12:55:47.641-05:00At last...Finally, I have gotten my act together and created an Etsy shop for the crafted items that are slowly taking over my house: <a href="http://www.causerie.etsy.com/">www.causerie.etsy.com</a><br /><br />Although, I confess, part of me is hoping that the global internet masses will hate this little lamp (inspired by a recent pilgrimage to Anthropologie), because it just belongs in my living room...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWi4cZPcQoWUvJfWsQTvbVeD6S-1x6cBPHSJEUCIPbM7mpEw5Pb_Q91nk01v3u4sSMn4Cxmdw6FA-FlVMDtx6Y6J0w0_U8jfZjV5ahAhVWo20O96o6BSOSdAF_F0hdV6JJaZy0P74hhyhG/s1600-h/IMG_7253.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWi4cZPcQoWUvJfWsQTvbVeD6S-1x6cBPHSJEUCIPbM7mpEw5Pb_Q91nk01v3u4sSMn4Cxmdw6FA-FlVMDtx6Y6J0w0_U8jfZjV5ahAhVWo20O96o6BSOSdAF_F0hdV6JJaZy0P74hhyhG/s400/IMG_7253.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434446091952317218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Etsy is already proving more successful than the craft fair Steph & I did a few weeks ago in Marietta (sales were terrible for everyone, though everyone loved our table)...I have an alchemy order in the works already! But then, the fair was only a few weeks after Christmas and everyone's piggy banks were still empty. So, I'm hopeful about the springtime.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRXTIlhHymXSHT-p8kotzBKKubtiwviIzUtXL7ioGYoD657ol8NhdeyH2CXyT6SPt_AUHn391qFH6c3DxUAhWcDxp67bIkuYCCHNk8PhwG2Z74JY9ZkRsaZ3L31cLtQwnVDIziEkKJEKG/s1600-h/IMG_7325.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRXTIlhHymXSHT-p8kotzBKKubtiwviIzUtXL7ioGYoD657ol8NhdeyH2CXyT6SPt_AUHn391qFH6c3DxUAhWcDxp67bIkuYCCHNk8PhwG2Z74JY9ZkRsaZ3L31cLtQwnVDIziEkKJEKG/s400/IMG_7325.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434445384500806770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrh8HggoVIP_oYt4cigtKn54IVqOVcBlSj0DULI9UU7deWKTiGRgEEGLknqPI9xcQMIRcaH4jf1AF5E5m-OY330Cb5DxCrQy6KI0q1trr7vy83bsI1vlpwWwnuZ0yteQ27iFFldIr9Kf39/s1600-h/IMG_7325.JPG"><br /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-46568027382829450792009-12-21T14:13:00.011-05:002009-12-21T15:27:42.034-05:00tick tock...Oh, the wonders of a carbide drill bit! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7e5DtNU87UCKyJ0pdmdj90n5lh3V6cQUWmPTG-1rTuZqWP5zvc0Czec6QlfKvmudFeqmX6lvz2k8zRgRz3_Wsocm5-sT6tN_kUfKvydoSgjWQpDS1ze45lFARugPYlHe79qMBCe2eteG/s1600-h/IMG_7142.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417771539804516962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7e5DtNU87UCKyJ0pdmdj90n5lh3V6cQUWmPTG-1rTuZqWP5zvc0Czec6QlfKvmudFeqmX6lvz2k8zRgRz3_Wsocm5-sT6tN_kUfKvydoSgjWQpDS1ze45lFARugPYlHe79qMBCe2eteG/s400/IMG_7142.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsepk206G7iTOeK6osXC-LHc5KwG7Y6qzArd5kLYsVU2uobYQlfKiIm820hc2FBUMBVFBHahoAJ_FQz9vHkBi5msrqERdznsrG_-3GcC_FSFNEZl0HtVT6QQrTqxbmBWtGvBmtURr66W6E/s1600-h/IMG_7153.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417770908345053298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsepk206G7iTOeK6osXC-LHc5KwG7Y6qzArd5kLYsVU2uobYQlfKiIm820hc2FBUMBVFBHahoAJ_FQz9vHkBi5msrqERdznsrG_-3GcC_FSFNEZl0HtVT6QQrTqxbmBWtGvBmtURr66W6E/s400/IMG_7153.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHsxqDgz4FJ7PD1tgmCOkQqGvCr6Ix_3fMa31vqed8HaxnGZThtPS3czkKlxMBekwTUF0qjdxrWDcU6yaBhaC-RPofbIxkgegHa4kyhDhlS4_sxN29_cMZg3_GNCATbqYwuqMHgOanfrR/s1600-h/IMG_7160.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417771284311283794" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHsxqDgz4FJ7PD1tgmCOkQqGvCr6Ix_3fMa31vqed8HaxnGZThtPS3czkKlxMBekwTUF0qjdxrWDcU6yaBhaC-RPofbIxkgegHa4kyhDhlS4_sxN29_cMZg3_GNCATbqYwuqMHgOanfrR/s400/IMG_7160.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzOdcuPiyIfwQJ2I0Ll08qM8RyjWtlZxc0NY4z2T5xze_KEnlceHl0w6vP79AvD_SLHzu6zwyJapdMTRArzvwNL4oJbalsymxa-UBnIAK9UmWYLoCHAVOFlrp8uONipjRutcCza2eXHIm/s1600-h/IMG_7131.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417775565785262770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 303px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJzOdcuPiyIfwQJ2I0Ll08qM8RyjWtlZxc0NY4z2T5xze_KEnlceHl0w6vP79AvD_SLHzu6zwyJapdMTRArzvwNL4oJbalsymxa-UBnIAK9UmWYLoCHAVOFlrp8uONipjRutcCza2eXHIm/s400/IMG_7131.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhilbZuGEVdeXbns1R_xfWaPaW-twO_30MwsezAlY2hm6K2hbJfvYhrEzipMe5Z4JO2VdwGqRbEKv9kghBG4skYGNNNlJs9RHo3MGTXp33YAPy1_ekX4Ctgs5pjBKHAGhyqSok6Zgq65nJV/s1600-h/IMG_7131.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBu4D66hUkrf7AFPKXs4cGDGD37WKYHwm0X4JafVv89qXu2QDIBjRXetNB1Iw2Rt3Mj8x-yAu4INQA_oZni_qTYuunjfR47RbTFPv1ojCXyCORllJtfNghJy4wLclUnXc2G5ynaEeAwUU/s1600-h/IMG_7137.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Three cheers for easy-to-produce Christmas presents...and for that shiny new drill that appeared under our Christmas tree this year, thanks to the best in-laws ever. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-4090152174242283072009-10-16T14:02:00.004-04:002009-10-16T14:22:58.804-04:00Quick artToday I did some photoshopping to a fantastic black and white damask I've had floating around my computer for a while. The colors are based on Anthropologie's <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=883102&catId=HOME-RUGS&pushId=HOME-RUGS&popId=HOME-RUGS&sortProperties=&navCount=35&navAction=top&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=mul&colorName=MULTI&isProduct=true&isBigImage=undefined">Mantadia rug</a>, which -one of these days when I finally break down- I am going to buy with the monthly grocery money and then live on water and instant oatmeal. Sorry Jordan.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm seeing a pair of these printed, enlarged, and mounted on canvas for our bedroom. Maybe it's just that it's October, but I can't get enough of this pumpkin orange. Love it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgAmMP0Tnp4Q6P9UmvHYrgK7Xn9QPMd9vhd1Zve-oKgAoqCBzhndVGZFA4bPsrFkS-uhuq9eMMx-oyUH2cA_lnvhYMi3oSLxDxJklQQB9QbhXCUmohjbVo_wvTwVFC2ZNWWLcxu4vZMbh/s1600-h/Colored+Damask.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgAmMP0Tnp4Q6P9UmvHYrgK7Xn9QPMd9vhd1Zve-oKgAoqCBzhndVGZFA4bPsrFkS-uhuq9eMMx-oyUH2cA_lnvhYMi3oSLxDxJklQQB9QbhXCUmohjbVo_wvTwVFC2ZNWWLcxu4vZMbh/s400/Colored+Damask.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393260617762331762" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-74878321075102213902009-10-09T22:21:00.018-04:002009-10-15T13:45:20.919-04:00Happiness = an October Friday free<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">No work today. So I slept in a bit, coffee-d up, and hit the Midtown yard sales. And did quite well :).<br /><br />Funny little vintage book.....0.50</span><br /><div style="text-align: center; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY6EZpSah_dsD-UWrcCGBhsW_t4-sSRv9ig6cdDR9yIkoCN2INCF-kBQib7j35kdk29mARugU9TqqSv1vYRdQSbdJhdc73PVhyiYwORIgqewVaN1_4u6Jhv9ZnLIwPlMVxtN9VOURzqil/s1600-h/IMG_6992.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY6EZpSah_dsD-UWrcCGBhsW_t4-sSRv9ig6cdDR9yIkoCN2INCF-kBQib7j35kdk29mARugU9TqqSv1vYRdQSbdJhdc73PVhyiYwORIgqewVaN1_4u6Jhv9ZnLIwPlMVxtN9VOURzqil/s320/IMG_6992.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390792217195709106" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Framed vintage print to go along with the orange accents I'm playing with in my bedroom.....$2</span><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKREii2RQpqOtHURPe-Ac5rxariQQWqjzUFjuN4W2NwqqbIPYLiCpsrh0gOQ_RTKfSJ6rQtA1O8dr0lshdGMKpqtkg2Xkn91qc1oXRikezTHlzYQhN_lNL6QA4Mvjs2K-HmNwATegqNpum/s1600-h/IMG_7006.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKREii2RQpqOtHURPe-Ac5rxariQQWqjzUFjuN4W2NwqqbIPYLiCpsrh0gOQ_RTKfSJ6rQtA1O8dr0lshdGMKpqtkg2Xkn91qc1oXRikezTHlzYQhN_lNL6QA4Mvjs2K-HmNwATegqNpum/s320/IMG_7006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390792895085675650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Handpainted leather journal......$1</span><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcBgLbAjhrxK2cADjue3cGH2yNtj3ZZfeqNlMWDptr9epUxm6kGbG65ZUKIuSXMtLsq-C7WLs0SBXrr6qCqy5Bk56LBOn_fy2hHaZFUefqkJmBQDhA2GjZszVNlF5iflbd-hQtW5HPHeB/s1600-h/IMG_7001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcBgLbAjhrxK2cADjue3cGH2yNtj3ZZfeqNlMWDptr9epUxm6kGbG65ZUKIuSXMtLsq-C7WLs0SBXrr6qCqy5Bk56LBOn_fy2hHaZFUefqkJmBQDhA2GjZszVNlF5iflbd-hQtW5HPHeB/s320/IMG_7001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390793424289640162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Wrought iron fireplace accessories & stand (that happen to match the fabulous paisley candles I snagged at Hobby Lobby for the mantle).....</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">$5</span><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlsHYGAZ2rn14vlLwDV9KtOCeOAhxC0LelNhym6LS2vw2FrzcMRl6PS0Qt_Akp2a9eP2ycOtAx6orDwas8zHfoISokf4dQOWDSCrXNTSSA9lKDQ-3PC8GpZc9qwKc8yE7Wi-Z1vu13YEN/s1600-h/IMG_6980.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUlsHYGAZ2rn14vlLwDV9KtOCeOAhxC0LelNhym6LS2vw2FrzcMRl6PS0Qt_Akp2a9eP2ycOtAx6orDwas8zHfoISokf4dQOWDSCrXNTSSA9lKDQ-3PC8GpZc9qwKc8yE7Wi-Z1vu13YEN/s320/IMG_6980.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390795215627205858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Another vintage book - this time, poetry.....$1</span><br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXjfN4_mOHlgCAGzwrSOL1qA-lBi_fVvAw9Vp3QLTAngvuYETgeIfX3UbrSU7XmLkjeOxyLe5-Tq2t-EMpYNYsxGIjZis_6MArSGlRVykDAzBjEqAE5A7fBX4sqELByySzcY298BLvmGd/s1600-h/IMG_6993.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXjfN4_mOHlgCAGzwrSOL1qA-lBi_fVvAw9Vp3QLTAngvuYETgeIfX3UbrSU7XmLkjeOxyLe5-Tq2t-EMpYNYsxGIjZis_6MArSGlRVykDAzBjEqAE5A7fBX4sqELByySzcY298BLvmGd/s320/IMG_6993.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390796118583826770" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">And these fab finds from a thrift store.....$6</span><br /><a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPTTsFmslwMxmOtuwMOXQYFaBm3-CMC2kO6GRJwLOUqhGXS7qD4cavet-kdJNjQLTQ9-p0elS3weHwj1k0RAyb6YccB02Jf88mHm-pttQ6wlhSmkgS2F1V3p8KNEsb2LziHhYseBVq89v/s1600-h/IMG_6972.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPTTsFmslwMxmOtuwMOXQYFaBm3-CMC2kO6GRJwLOUqhGXS7qD4cavet-kdJNjQLTQ9-p0elS3weHwj1k0RAyb6YccB02Jf88mHm-pttQ6wlhSmkgS2F1V3p8KNEsb2LziHhYseBVq89v/s320/IMG_6972.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390797157194598562" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-59337480392666685832009-07-10T01:12:00.002-04:002009-07-10T13:32:02.021-04:00Tortilla Tower = Happy HusbandI have never been particularly fond of nachos. The guy that I live with loves nachos. Problem.<br /><br />So, I decided to make some nachos that I could approve of. The result: Lime Grilled Chicken Fajita Nachos a la Elise(ita). Problem solved.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9eaL4-0xxuNtWYYHHLmoRYqijoA8O8mvOOFziBjrTO3tVkNzmZPcKlA4vX1_tU570hc8CMcSJlUeZzEw09PTDEX_a_ClqsUjIqva0MOQMvweavfNWP0TCuUDiMGC11ZTaLP-elUNJ6Pj/s1600-h/IMG_6938.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9eaL4-0xxuNtWYYHHLmoRYqijoA8O8mvOOFziBjrTO3tVkNzmZPcKlA4vX1_tU570hc8CMcSJlUeZzEw09PTDEX_a_ClqsUjIqva0MOQMvweavfNWP0TCuUDiMGC11ZTaLP-elUNJ6Pj/s320/IMG_6938.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356473246387959346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />-Rub 1 1/2 skinless boneless chicken breasts with lime juice, fajita seasoning, freshly ground black pepper, and cilantro; grill and shred<br />-Sautee 1 diced onion, 1/2 green pepper, 3 cloves garlic, and diced jalapenos; add spices to taste<br />-Start layering on a greased pan...chips, cheese, salsa, veggies, chicken, cilantro, more cheese, repeat<br />-Bake @ 300 until crispy & melty<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Serves two for supper...if one of them is very large and the other is very small, and they are still recovering from splitting an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream earlier that evening.</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-834227903816542772009-07-08T17:56:00.006-04:002009-10-09T23:36:11.702-04:00Beware of Chamber MusicSo I read Tolstoy's <span style="font-style: italic;">The Kreutzer Sonata</span> on google books yesterday. And then, later, I was at home working on a painting, and Rubber Soul was playing in the next room on my ipod, and the next thing i knew, I was hearing, <span style="font-style: italic;">I'd rather see you dead, little girl, than to be with another man</span>.<br /><br />Maybe I put the album on subconsciously, I don't know. But the first chorus really does sum up the novella pretty well: <span>Well you know that I'm a wicked guy/And I was born with a jealous mind/And I can't spend my whole life/Trying just to make you toe the line</span>.<br /><br />If you haven't read it, it's a free download on <a href="http://books.google.com/">google books</a> (<-- my current favorite invention, you can access anything that's public domain and also preview books that aren't...and the previews I've seen are actually about 1/4 of the book. Which is just long enough for you to get hooked, and then there's nothing to do but go across the street and buy the silly thing for 19.99 from Borders. But anyway, it's wonderful.). In it, through the main character's re-telling of how he murdered his wife, Tolstoy expresses his fairly twisted view of male/female relations (and, secondarily, of the potential effects of music and the performance of it), which in part characterized his ascetical-heretical brand of Christianity. And, of course, if you've played much Beethoven, you'll find it interesting. After reading <span style="font-style: italic;">Anna K</span>, then <span style="font-style: italic;">Kreutzer</span>, I figured this was as good a time as any to read <span style="font-style: italic;">War & Peace</span> (which, incidentally, can also be downloaded on GB, though it would probably crash your hard drive). And then I realized it was 2,485 pages and that by the time I finished it, it would be snowing outside, and went back to reading the little Eudora Welty that I picked up at a yard sale last week.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-68340492912752203532009-06-23T18:55:00.002-04:002010-02-04T12:57:49.480-05:00currently...reading:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeXna9l5RV4tNMyNMLY_rFcpv_qIeUe7rGOBPOP8JFZWe7577Jf5ggHBGsp25_3VNMg2x6jmh2Lu7s6EgNZ9Zmao_TnkenhKSrOUH_ZmzeEdcN2Gm9iP9ZR-vDT8chBBUvv4qSKmXtocy/s1600-h/anna_karenina.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeXna9l5RV4tNMyNMLY_rFcpv_qIeUe7rGOBPOP8JFZWe7577Jf5ggHBGsp25_3VNMg2x6jmh2Lu7s6EgNZ9Zmao_TnkenhKSrOUH_ZmzeEdcN2Gm9iP9ZR-vDT8chBBUvv4qSKmXtocy/s320/anna_karenina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350955569704491314" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />...wanting:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWV9ZW-Z7KGzC99gmLUYJo_n9Mh8MPQro4I-jkedpQJdqE3T6xaNkE0n6YwiQ1FSFv43QudmOLVu85UWTkP4Rm5kCsaZ_EYU4FRFs1dMwnk5kAhSvCQInx7ZWUvXTN4ZzHbjBL-5aWMZoO/s1600-h/880092_aso_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWV9ZW-Z7KGzC99gmLUYJo_n9Mh8MPQro4I-jkedpQJdqE3T6xaNkE0n6YwiQ1FSFv43QudmOLVu85UWTkP4Rm5kCsaZ_EYU4FRFs1dMwnk5kAhSvCQInx7ZWUvXTN4ZzHbjBL-5aWMZoO/s320/880092_aso_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350956472044731586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />...laughing at:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasOn2Wh4OtHjNhVrX_KQpg6S31CuV21e1Rp7R4Z-2tjMQh0aNxGeGHUat0ccxg4XRll_GoQiw-U2mLHAzQBp3OIl9xm4CueAlL0-JX33sPHyXmlY4MvEcdEHsD-G2ZdTQTJPOs3xa6PxO/s1600-h/il_fullxfull.61875212.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjasOn2Wh4OtHjNhVrX_KQpg6S31CuV21e1Rp7R4Z-2tjMQh0aNxGeGHUat0ccxg4XRll_GoQiw-U2mLHAzQBp3OIl9xm4CueAlL0-JX33sPHyXmlY4MvEcdEHsD-G2ZdTQTJPOs3xa6PxO/s320/il_fullxfull.61875212.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350956806252465426" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />...admiring:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wuPvqd8nDzBug6JzXTfL77kHPY8b7GcmLU9hTvWcehna7qBiGbUdDCBGt1BQysTn7wfEbB8v9z-G8ZuyU1P8iL1PSrvNBlNRK8g-6q7GEqlEd2K4T0TBPW8BJeT3wLvXSJoa4zJa4l4M/s1600-h/coffeecoffeecoffee.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3wuPvqd8nDzBug6JzXTfL77kHPY8b7GcmLU9hTvWcehna7qBiGbUdDCBGt1BQysTn7wfEbB8v9z-G8ZuyU1P8iL1PSrvNBlNRK8g-6q7GEqlEd2K4T0TBPW8BJeT3wLvXSJoa4zJa4l4M/s320/coffeecoffeecoffee.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350956980686864306" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />...waiting for:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdT8gbdvFiPFg1Cc6pSIf1L3UtNcBbzaPo63jjCwwOPVpURWU0sBvw1ZxQvAdUFizCEAoPNfeG-LxAxZkISkLYU8PaMYgfrQxIoU44uOv9SYWkws1eke8tYRu-sapH9Ty1PfQgbtUGr7l/s1600-h/Subtlety+Cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdT8gbdvFiPFg1Cc6pSIf1L3UtNcBbzaPo63jjCwwOPVpURWU0sBvw1ZxQvAdUFizCEAoPNfeG-LxAxZkISkLYU8PaMYgfrQxIoU44uOv9SYWkws1eke8tYRu-sapH9Ty1PfQgbtUGr7l/s320/Subtlety+Cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350958311583189666" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-88044594468665212342009-04-22T17:14:00.010-04:002009-04-23T14:14:46.511-04:00reasons whyI am terrible at blogging because I am a perfectionist. In waiting for the best way to say something, for the time to upload good pictures of what I did last weekend, for myself to <span style="font-style: italic;">remember</span> what I did last weekend, I end up posting nothing at all.<br /><br />I am also a terrible blogger for the same reason I am a terrible photographer. I am always too preoccupied with the experience of what I am doing and the real-life things i could be doing that I hate to stop long enough to write anything down. I would rather just watch and enjoy the beautiful novelties I come across than miss them in my hurry to turn on my camera.<br /><br />And also because i can never decide whether I prefer to capitalize or not capitalize.<br /><br />And also because I'm quite enjoying my one-book-a-week-at-least regimen, which fills in all the little spaces in my day.<br /><br />Last week I read <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1I9AA0ySuMUoi5eM7b3l0vNX-y8QhIE7tSfvp-7MvkqUGKCP0dHRB1XFzNdPnGmNaLvk4__GPquW_NseF-GFrhk2gsCS32WKGq3yyvr2ZqKfAHvl6Gpv9vaq5qpzDTFjd9NqEbxfECZ4C/s1600-h/the+curious+incident.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1I9AA0ySuMUoi5eM7b3l0vNX-y8QhIE7tSfvp-7MvkqUGKCP0dHRB1XFzNdPnGmNaLvk4__GPquW_NseF-GFrhk2gsCS32WKGq3yyvr2ZqKfAHvl6Gpv9vaq5qpzDTFjd9NqEbxfECZ4C/s320/the+curious+incident.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327944381735911506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />and this week I read<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWrOaeJ39LIO1xaYxbE-9lArxd_ro0cScbq_52mHXHKsa98FbOJE_LqtZlF8ahmgEqnrgBM5BPbZDbksz8L_nVI7-OTyqDehKY5GnEfzgnH3oPB7GVR6onE7BbatpYhQ6uUblNbLVdFS4/s1600-h/the+lovely+bones.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWrOaeJ39LIO1xaYxbE-9lArxd_ro0cScbq_52mHXHKsa98FbOJE_LqtZlF8ahmgEqnrgBM5BPbZDbksz8L_nVI7-OTyqDehKY5GnEfzgnH3oPB7GVR6onE7BbatpYhQ6uUblNbLVdFS4/s320/the+lovely+bones.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327944209785134818" border="0" /></a><br />- two narratives dealing with neighborhood tragedy, suburban life, and family dysfunctionality. I didn't plan to read such similar novels back to back - I spotted the first on amazon and happened on the second on sale for $1 in a thrift store - though on first glance they are strikingly different, one narrated by an autistic 15 year old boy and the second narrated by a murdered middle school girl.<br /><br />But both end in somewhat implausible redemption. The wayward mothers return to their abandoned families because their emotional stars finally align (moved by despair or tragedy) and point toward home. The remaining folks alive are happy, for a time. And I feel the way I feel at the end of triumphant war movies, even when the good guys win...the dog is still dead, Susie is still dead, the soldiers who died are still dead. When will <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> part of the story be resolved? That is the redemption I long for, the part the writers fail to deal with.<br /><br />Of course, there are a lot of factors, both superficial and subtle, at play in these stories which are also well worth discussing, but I don't have time now because-you guessed it-the next book awaits (next in queue: Out of the Silent Planet). And I am still in the honeymoon phase of being able to read whatever I want, whenever I want, and have been granted glorious after-dinner hours in which to do it. And freshly roasted coffee to go with it (even if the roasting does make my kitchen smell funny). And I plan to enjoy this phase.<br /><br />Taking suggestions for post-Space Trilogy reading...<br /><br /><br /><a id="publishButton" class="cssButton" href="javascript:void(0)" target="" onclick="if (this.className.indexOf("ubtn-disabled") == -1) {var e = document['stuffform'].publish;(e.length) ? e[0].click() : e.click(); if (window.event) window.event.cancelBubble = true; return false;}"><br /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2456641088173759722&postID=8804459446866521234#" onclick="togglePostOptions(); return false"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-33680188597086419662009-03-06T17:38:00.005-05:002009-04-23T14:14:17.328-04:00bookwormingI can't remember the last time I kept a reading list...but then again, neither can I remember the last time I had enough time on my hands to actually read enough books that it would be worthwhile to keep track.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">So here are the books I've read since Christmas. Flannery, of course, is an ongoing project.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxW7Ld5A3hJVNhKFtChrvF9FSWRNzFu5RhzPSodi5o7emL2t7BfLIFJ0JzL7SIqSxSfsrGlqoKlAe0_Ji4r1EgXx6EnSDXzc4psHhd0Le5ssprz89AVLYkq_EyeK61t8c0DXnLCy3DS4r/s1600-h/catcher.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikxW7Ld5A3hJVNhKFtChrvF9FSWRNzFu5RhzPSodi5o7emL2t7BfLIFJ0JzL7SIqSxSfsrGlqoKlAe0_Ji4r1EgXx6EnSDXzc4psHhd0Le5ssprz89AVLYkq_EyeK61t8c0DXnLCy3DS4r/s200/catcher.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310132747548387362" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJIIbeauifVIhttbLrC7wJnyPwNmliTphOLK-ACDW2nOvIJDwpi05qqFpgvKTlDzgZLLlp9DCwopChFh0anig7Lw5R6ofZmWX8BAQkcevQJ9Vwo0ZE71kppkuzYo0Q82viewqIok8rwil/s1600-h/flanneryoconnor.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJIIbeauifVIhttbLrC7wJnyPwNmliTphOLK-ACDW2nOvIJDwpi05qqFpgvKTlDzgZLLlp9DCwopChFh0anig7Lw5R6ofZmWX8BAQkcevQJ9Vwo0ZE71kppkuzYo0Q82viewqIok8rwil/s200/flanneryoconnor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310133475439982914" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7azLu3q21fe5-epthL13wqTM6oo1PcMIuSf2sn-gEdxJnNvxHKdn5AWg3jAp5tDzf9tW8unN-snyznUR60pdeQYgpBZrcFQOGycl6XepZKPNSaGapK8kO4LomOq7lU3aPSDtKExaeRlXD/s1600-h/imgThe+Poisonwood+Bible++A+Novel3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7azLu3q21fe5-epthL13wqTM6oo1PcMIuSf2sn-gEdxJnNvxHKdn5AWg3jAp5tDzf9tW8unN-snyznUR60pdeQYgpBZrcFQOGycl6XepZKPNSaGapK8kO4LomOq7lU3aPSDtKExaeRlXD/s200/imgThe+Poisonwood+Bible++A+Novel3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310133474257580882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aMCTQ0G638oMV86xqc162lJETTqXl-YFLC8aKoFbw_WsE5U_MiL4zBs-bGh6jDrXmriBWcNxbBOc-bxi-OPWQ2U0b7XlTh5x9ki2UV1yzpCVa8gH4O3N5ie0Ti8-48bcVz0ncxwHQZMN/s1600-h/francis-cugat-the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 141px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aMCTQ0G638oMV86xqc162lJETTqXl-YFLC8aKoFbw_WsE5U_MiL4zBs-bGh6jDrXmriBWcNxbBOc-bxi-OPWQ2U0b7XlTh5x9ki2UV1yzpCVa8gH4O3N5ie0Ti8-48bcVz0ncxwHQZMN/s200/francis-cugat-the-great-gatsby-by-f-scott-fitzgerald.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310133627345786898" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gARkTmz3BT6MEauH57MSAd0j9ahbSDBvEYWKRQRacl9PZvK6juwCoJhVEwppRgJNTKjrbjmtnmzCh9T35rDARzcA7EPoPDtzmdj45z4dlK7N53dNSI1BayW6_WOp726p-fOxwfqo871-/s1600-h/Memoirs_of_a_Geisha_book.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gARkTmz3BT6MEauH57MSAd0j9ahbSDBvEYWKRQRacl9PZvK6juwCoJhVEwppRgJNTKjrbjmtnmzCh9T35rDARzcA7EPoPDtzmdj45z4dlK7N53dNSI1BayW6_WOp726p-fOxwfqo871-/s200/Memoirs_of_a_Geisha_book.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310134394164534658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Wg0Hf9I_HM5d-c-ITsNZGIlxch9nQE4mjtLw2Qx-E-CqmdXTnPgA9j8YYZ58LWHRFHCDtI6Kk6Jw3twQ5ihtumRmSaJYUqBcuULlYcPksIhgF1B8uiUH6Uuy8lOEUxfIPcjpTmgGRRax/s1600-h/faithofbarackobama.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Wg0Hf9I_HM5d-c-ITsNZGIlxch9nQE4mjtLw2Qx-E-CqmdXTnPgA9j8YYZ58LWHRFHCDtI6Kk6Jw3twQ5ihtumRmSaJYUqBcuULlYcPksIhgF1B8uiUH6Uuy8lOEUxfIPcjpTmgGRRax/s200/faithofbarackobama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310134444988348562" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCNUrlfAz32ptbQj6XGhqQf_e3FOhTyt1wwmSTSaMEG6FZQ1QhbLky8Tu3G7VJtghLMdcqMD_NxVYiJEFILqLi8o2j5swS_91tecNKKztQ6z_pAWvoxWdI8ub06DnRhetyADiSoWrf-Sz/s1600-h/tales-of-beedle-the-bard.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCNUrlfAz32ptbQj6XGhqQf_e3FOhTyt1wwmSTSaMEG6FZQ1QhbLky8Tu3G7VJtghLMdcqMD_NxVYiJEFILqLi8o2j5swS_91tecNKKztQ6z_pAWvoxWdI8ub06DnRhetyADiSoWrf-Sz/s200/tales-of-beedle-the-bard.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310134815426559346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmd_uhWyEA1ybL666Xpd6Kg89KpXP_Xxpp6WiWNU0rfvq1CreonMPZ6iXfIGLSJddLJ110dqYvx2_iE71V6GPHfOMvLhM9uj4zV2iifeDr2QsY7MBqx5xOG8DKtgePAchsGz3AXxm8P6n/s1600-h/bluelikejazz.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvmd_uhWyEA1ybL666Xpd6Kg89KpXP_Xxpp6WiWNU0rfvq1CreonMPZ6iXfIGLSJddLJ110dqYvx2_iE71V6GPHfOMvLhM9uj4zV2iifeDr2QsY7MBqx5xOG8DKtgePAchsGz3AXxm8P6n/s200/bluelikejazz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310134923642481906" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiju2O6qpzYhxwfAnolc5uy3XanuZM4uw8pWuAtjg-7tprWxskjM_cE0bj8xUBEgi-v7lruL1ImNpTUGm0-Uqfb-H7dXp62e2N-bZoVXXzJo7GpGQVbGJfENissdkGgaoiJ-PS4AQ53ulC/s1600-h/secret-life-of-bees.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiju2O6qpzYhxwfAnolc5uy3XanuZM4uw8pWuAtjg-7tprWxskjM_cE0bj8xUBEgi-v7lruL1ImNpTUGm0-Uqfb-H7dXp62e2N-bZoVXXzJo7GpGQVbGJfENissdkGgaoiJ-PS4AQ53ulC/s200/secret-life-of-bees.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310134987633105522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgil7NsnzJsRvOur4QY3d5RsAMNVIJXn05QQiwsDIJTYxwoPtkqmH7N2B3jia_l5vfsCd56wZ-yeYhbdn6RXhhUj8bMnMp4uFVcm_Mkp_qrax6I2mwV9QpppK5jQp945TfIohWavYRio9o-/s1600-h/House_Sugar_Beach.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgil7NsnzJsRvOur4QY3d5RsAMNVIJXn05QQiwsDIJTYxwoPtkqmH7N2B3jia_l5vfsCd56wZ-yeYhbdn6RXhhUj8bMnMp4uFVcm_Mkp_qrax6I2mwV9QpppK5jQp945TfIohWavYRio9o-/s200/House_Sugar_Beach.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310136994355937522" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2456641088173759722.post-30871369218402885252009-02-23T16:20:00.000-05:002009-02-23T20:02:27.176-05:00An un-sonnet to my bread<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-A88MsUNzFct-tuLGIdW3QyYb-WyXHVTIIW9Z-wmgvxVKqQeVfv0kn4SOsgXR-_RfzVkb40wxbBUNwJJEWre73pvymZ8gV7JQlM2PHYSZa5JRuFuyXytEVkyZTc1FzuHUy-f-j2HUDY/s1600-h/IMG_6771.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-A88MsUNzFct-tuLGIdW3QyYb-WyXHVTIIW9Z-wmgvxVKqQeVfv0kn4SOsgXR-_RfzVkb40wxbBUNwJJEWre73pvymZ8gV7JQlM2PHYSZa5JRuFuyXytEVkyZTc1FzuHUy-f-j2HUDY/s320/IMG_6771.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306153789917322226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Flour, water, sugar, salt, yeast.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wait 80 minutes for it to squish. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Roll out into a rectangle, then it roll up.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wait 40 minutes for it to rise.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Cut three slashes in the top.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Brush with saltwater glaze</span>.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sprinkle with whatever seeds you want</span>.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bake for 20 min.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Eat warm. Impress husband. Mmmmm.</span><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1