Happy Twenty-Ninth Birthday!

I had a birthday last weekend. I turned twenty-nine. For my birthday, Monte took me out to Boulder, Colorado to go gliding. The experience was ........ hmmmmm...... let me try to be eloquent about this.......... so cool.

Me, and my pilot, Gary, strapping me in so I'm SAFE for the flight!

Our tiny little glider! Now, that is a landing you can feel! My butt is practically on the ground!

Us, being pulled by the tow-plane heading for those mountains over...... THERE!

Some mountains.

A postcard I bought. Just kidding! I took that picture!

lunch. very important.

In other news: North Korea has reportedly tested a missile, as US officials say it now has access to funds frozen for years; Claude Monet's painting Waterloo Bridge, Temps Couvert doubles its estimated selling price at auction (18 million pounds); Lindsay Lohan has cancelled her 21st birthday party; and the US military says 10,000 US and Iraqi troops are moving against al-Qaeda networks north of Baghdad.

Raw Foods Meal

I mentioned a couple of blogs ago that I attended a raw foods cooking class with my friend Sara in Vail. Well, the class was definitely worth it because last night I made my first raw foods meal!

Zucchini Pesto Pasta:

2 cups basil leaves (stems removed), tightly packed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp sea salt 6 zucchini, peeled
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 tomato, seeded and diced
¼ cup raw pine nuts ½ cup Pine Nut Parmesan (optional)

To make the pesto, place the basil, olive oil, garlic, and salt in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until the basil is chopped. Add the pine nuts and process until smooth. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Pesto will keep for five days.

To make the pasta, use a vegetable peeler to peel the zucchini down to the core of seeds on all sides, forming long strips. Do not continue peeling once you reach the core of seeds. Cut the zucchini strips into 1-inch pieces. Toss the zucchini with enough pesto to coat. Place a small pile of zucchini on serving plate. Top with the diced tomato and Pine Nut Parmesan, if desired.


Well. I don’t have a food processor, so here is what my pasta looked like:




Plus, I don’t have a dehydrator, nor did I have the energy or time to make pine nut parmesan, so I used REAL parmesan. Sue me.

And the pesto goes quite nicely with a martini:




And a side of grilled meatloaf:




Hehehe. GO RAW FOODS!

In other news: The prestigious UN Heritage List is voting this month on 5 globally important natural and cultural wonders of the world; Aids say that Bill and Hillary Clinton have sold their blind trust stocks to avoid any problems for Mrs Clinton's presidency bid; Nicole Richie is pregnant; and Switzerland opens the world's longest rail tunnel on land - the 34km Loetschberg tunnel under the Alps.

Snobbery by Joseph Epstein

On a recent non-fiction kick, and finding myself bookless in Cheyenne, Wyoming, I perused the shelves for something to read. Appropriately, for the setting, I chose the book Snobbery by Joseph Epstein.

A very cute read, Epstein talks about the curiosity he finds in that though democracy, by its very nature touts itself as anti-snobbery, seems at the same time, by its very nature to breed it. By taking away the social solidarity of class, getting rid of any true aristocracy, and even by eliminating the society columns, Americans are left with the need to find some way of distinguishing themselves from their fellow countrymen.

We do this by becoming snobs. Job-snobbery, school snobbery, intellectual snobbery, political snobbery, celebrity snobbery, food & wine snobbery, overall "good-taste" snobbery…… and the list goes on. We all fit into some of these and know people who fit into some of these. I myself have a wee bit of job-snobbery (but of the more modern I-don’t-make-any-money-but-I’m-doing-something-important kind), intellectual snobbery (I thought myself over that, but I was merely taking a break and am a snob again in full force), and food and wine snobbery (though, in reading this book and making the distinctions, I find that I am less of a snob and more of an elitist).

The book was very entertaining. I especially enjoyed the chapter on good taste:

"…good taste really is good sense, which means that in friendship, it is
represented by tact, generosity, and above all kindness; in possessions, by
comfort, elegance, utility, and solidity; in art, by beauty, harmony, and
originality…"

as well as the chapters on WASP society (my only experience with that being from Gilmore Girls [holla!]), and the chapter on the snobbery of being un-American. Though the book was enjoyable, I found it a little too fleshed out and thought it might do better as a series of essays.

In other news: gas prices are up; though the station's three crew and seven visiting shuttle astronauts are not at any immediate risk, Russian computers controlling the International Space Station's orientation, as well as its supply of oxygen and water have failed; Jessica Alba is an "American hero;" and during daylight hours, a million dollar painting by the 17th Century Dutch artist Frans van Mieris has been stolen from the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney!

Doesn't matter a rambling damn.

Quote of the day: "Doubt is a virtue, JFK told students 45 years ago. Without it we have the tragic bluster and empty optimism of political culture today." - Peter Birkenhead

In other news: I attended a raw-foods cooking class this past weekend in Vail, Colorado. I was so excited to finally eat that I forgot to take pictures. You'll get them when I actually make the food myself! Hehehehe. If that happens.

And Curry has grown up. She is no longer a puppy; she is a dog of the world. Here are some pictures from her recent trip to Vedauwoo with some of her friends:

Mangy looking dog, wouldn't you say?

And...... there is no other news. Enough of a break, I'm back to work.

Turning Our Attention Elsewhere....

It's all happening at the zoo.....

My day off. Monte's day off too. Here are some pictures:

American Alligators. They are a new exhibit. The zoo has had them for approximately three weeks and they are not eating. Later on we got to see handlers trying to get them to eat.

Budgies, Cockatiels and Parrots. I want one!

I have a picture with this guy from before! He's great.

Hippos are so cool. These alternate between being SO COOL and DISGUSTING.

In other news: American alligators can live up to two years without eating (so don't worry too much about the ones pictured above); I got pooped on by a budgie (on my chin - imagine if I had had my mouth open!); my internet is up for the moment; Paris Hilton has been released from prison to house arrest; and Germany's chancellor says the leaders of the G8 nations have agreed a compromise deal on climate change.

The sky today.

Recent Images

I have a cold and seem to remember a whole bunch of blogging intentions I experienced over the past week or so. However, I think my brain is congested. So, if you've seen me recently, take a vitamin C, and for your viewing pleasure:

We got weird looking when you had your backs turned.

Monte's mom came to visit us for almost an entire week. It was GREAT.

Me from an unflattering perspective with a beautiful sky above.

Curry. Is it me? Or has she gotten even CUTER?

In other news: The "surge" isn't working in Iraq, "Waitress" is a good movie, Dutch researchers are trying to grow pork in petri dishes, and Japan has three times as much solar power being used as the U.S. even though it has far less land and gets half as much sun as California.

Word of the Week

antinomianism (n) - the theory of the doctrine of divine grace that believes Christians are released from having to obey moral law.


In other news: Norway is currently the most peaceful country in the world (studies show); I am confused on how the world works in terms of economics - thinking of Darfur at this point; the Scripps National Spelling Bee is this week (click this link for an interesting article on spelling bees in other countries); and celebrities are stupid...... or the fact that Americans choose to give these crazies celebrity status is stupid. I'm not sure. No - I'm sure.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

I just finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. WOW. Of course, I have known the story for years (who doesn't?) but for some reason I had never read the book. I had gotten maybe three chapters in on one occassion and couldn't get much further at all. This time however.......... this time.....


Oscar Wilde is such a brilliant writer. I remember getting roped into reading transcriptions of his trials one evening browsing at Barnes and Noble. He was a hero of a speaker!


In this book, his thoughts on life, age, society, morality - are all so generously and wittily explained through the two rakish characters of Lord Henry and Dorian Gray. Wilde questions how intrinsic our virtue really is and what kind of relationship we have with art.


I have so much more to say on the book, but I feel sort of strange about it - it being such a staple in literature, I feel much like I might if I were reviewing Goodnight Moon or Green Eggs and Ham. So, I'll be terse: read it. It is thoroughly disturbing (and the disturbing ones are always the good ones)!



In other news: My internet connection seldom works properly; Children of mothers who eat plenty of apples during pregnancy are less likely to develop asthma, research suggests; Seven US soldiers and an interpreter have been killed in insurgent attacks in Iraq, the US military says; and the U.S. government has issued a quarantine order, the first since 1963, for a man with a rare and dangerous form of tuberculosis.

The autumn winds blow chilly and cold

Today, when I was thinking about friends I hadn't been keeping up with, I was surprised to find myself wondering if they had blogs. Everyone seems to have them these days; I'm not sure how I feel about that. Many of my friends keep themselves abreast of the goings-on in my life by reading my blog and I do the same with them. However, in doing so we avoid any real connection , don't we? Is blogging a way of connecting with the world or disconnecting from it?

I think of you out there. Let's have coffee sometime. I'll blog about it.

I get all the news I need on the weather report.

In the spirit of competition, I share with you a cribbage board. A used one. One that shows the score of the most recent game that Monte and I played.


I'm red. Do you see my little red peg at the far right of the game tracker? Do you still see Monte's at start? Not having even left the harbor? Yes. What is that called? A sweep? I SWEPT this week's cribbage game! HaHAH!

In other news: White tea just doesn't do it for me and it is becoming overcast and windy outside...... THUNDERATION!

I just can't seem to get enough of the sky out here. This was yesterday.

As long as you have a sane reason from a reliable source.

The show Gilmore Girls has come to an end and so (sorry mom) I devote this post to the show. Last night the CW aired the last episode. Though the last season didn't seem as good, though the ending seemed kind of hasty, and though I stopped blogging about it, it still remains one of my favorite shows and I'm going to miss it every Tuesday night! (until I find something else to celebrate with my pizza and wine)

I loved the various relationships in this show: The embarrassing, stressful, and supportive family relationships. The odd, estranged, and even more familial friendships. The schisms in generation, community, and social class. Unlike other popular shows, the characters grew and changed over time. The relationships between them did the same - becoming closer or filled with more tension season by season.

For a show that was half soap-opera, half teen drama, it did a surprisingly good job of keeping up. Fiction is supposed to imitate life. However, this is one of those fictions that for me, opened up aspects of the world that I might not have otherwise noticed (high society, renaissance fairs, private schools, bards in today's society). The show's cultural references to literature, film, politics, current events, and music were at times over my head, and at other times, when I got the joke, felt like little high fives. Is this me being maudlin?

Anyway, I learned a lot from Gilmore Girls. I learned that a devilled egg is one part yolk and two parts mayonnaise; that if you don't get into a good school, your only other option is to marry rich; if you work for eleven years at 1500 jobs, you can afford to buy a house; themed parties are cool; anything can be a competition; boys don't like funny girls; one night in a hallway does not a true naked man make; and that Vicious Trollop is an excellent name for a lipstick.

Now that I will no longer be watching television on Tuesday nights, I am left with The Office and Scrubs on Thursdays. Perhaps I don't watch enough television.

my breakfast

In other news: (what I learned from my TV watching last night): There is going to be a Nancy Drew movie! It comes out on June 15th! Cingular is the new AT&T! Cingular's name is now AT&T! I don't get it. Maybe I do watch enough TV.

A Gallimaufry of Recent Adventures

I am currently enjoying a bowl of wok-seared lamb; so if this post sounds a little sybaritic, that is why.

My dear friend, Megan, came to visit this week. It was great to see her, since it is seldom we have the leisure for true and lengthy chats. We ate a lot (clearly - just look at the picture below) and spent a lot of time reminiscing and catching up.

We are impressive eaters!

Gilmore Girls is coming to an abrupt end. I have long sensed that it was time for the show to go off the air since it has pretty much extended all story lines as far as possible quite some time ago. Since I have yet to watch this week's episode, I have two left. I'm sure I will blog about them when the show has finally finished, despite my mother's rather dramatic sighs at having to read such inane posts.

Today's sky.

In other news (already censored for depressing content): The Queen toured Goddard space center in Maryland on her recent tour of the eastern U.S. before returning to England; After a search of more than 30 years, an Israeli archaeologist says he has found the tomb of King Herod; Pamela Anderson wears see-through shirts; And there exists an Oxford Companion to Food and Drink.

The Diamond Age

Today I finished the book The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson. I read it in three days. I could NOT put it down.

When an illustrated primer, which is really an extraordinary computer of the nanotechnological world, is stolen, it falls into the hands of a very young girl who happens to be a member of a poor, tribeless class. This child, immersing herself in a fairytale world that closely mirrors her own troubled life, is educated and raised outside of any system that is in place or understood at the time.

In this futuristic world where Matter Compilers can produce anything material, national governments are obsolete, and law seems arbitrary; Nell, the primer's rogue engineer, and the woman whose voice has kept Nell company through the primer's pages some long years are all on an odyssey which may end up changing the entire future of humankind.

Though the book started a little slowly for me, I soon found myself unable to put it down. Each thread of story-telling was so creative and each character so well written, that I found I could perfectly picture the book's world and all its wonders. It was such a fun and exciting read! Thank you to those who recommended it to me!

In other news: Delegates say that experts at a major UN climate change control conference in Bankok have reached a deal on how to best handle the problem; Now they have to actually do something; Walter Shirra of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs died yesterday; Wolfowitz blames 'unclear' bank rules for the scandal over his girlfriend's pay; and Paris Hilton's boyfriend is an idiot.

One Weekend at a Time

A few highlights from the last weekend in April:

Strawberry Mousse Parfait

The above is a weekend in itself! We had our neighbors Don and Isabella over for dinner on Saturday night. I made Stuffed Mushrooms, Guinness Stew, Buttermilk Soda Bread, and the above pictured dessert. And a pitcher of margaritas. I talked to Don today and he said he thinks we got his wife drunk (Oops, they're in their 70s!).

Mexican Redknee Tarantula

Today, Monte and I went to the Butterfly Pavilion in Denver. Besides butterflies, this indoor insect zoo has horseshoe crabs, tarantulas, cockroaches (shudder), starfish and many more interesting species to view and touch.

me, holding a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula

I got to hold a tarantula! It was so cool! The Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula is one of the most docile species and whose lifespan is around twelve years. She crawled all over my hands and started out on my arm before she was kindly plucked back by her handler.

Malay Lacewing Butterfly

Above is one of the most intricately designed butterflies we saw. There were so many beautiful ones that I had never seen before. I had hoped to see a Malachite butterfly, but since they are green, like the stone they are named after, I imagine that had there been any out at the time, they would have been quite difficult to find. We did see ten different types of butterflies and at least eighteen different beautiful and exotic flowers.

Curry, with her new toy

Coming home, we stopped at the pet store to get a new nest for our rat, Hamlin. Monte saw the above toy and couldn't resist. Curry now knows the word, "burger," however it only means small stuffed toy to tear apart to her.

In other news: The Vatican had a conference on climate change recently and the pope declared it against God's will to abuse the environment (does that mean that global warming isn't part of the inevitable downfall of society and the precursor to armageddon?). My garden is starting to bloom. And finally, video games may be related to violence.

Word of the Week

Welcome, once again, to this very educational blog designed to expand our vocabularies (or expose how pathetic my vocabulary is).

The word of the week/moment/day is one of the following (can you guess which one is correct?):

otiose (adj.) - hateful; detestable; repugnant.

otiose (adj.)- immensely large; vast.

otiose (adj.) - indolent; futile; superfluous.

Two points to the best sentence!

dazzling new levels

Welcome back to the work-week! I hope everyone had as good of a weekend as I did! On Saturday, I threw a party for the students of mine who received superior ratings in the local festival and are qualifying for state. We had a WONDERFUL time. Sunday, we bought bushes to plant in our front yard (I have yet to do the planting though) and went to a Decemberists concert. (Their new album has a cleaner and more mainstream sound to it...... and thus I like it BETTER).

I also put down the book Waiting for Gertrude by Bill Richardson. This is one I won't be finishing. The idea of the book was cute; a community of cats live in the main cemetery in Paris and they are reincarnations of such famous Parisian artists as Chopin, Rossini, Isadora Duncan, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and others. I think the author missed a step though, in making his characters a bit too crass. It is cute that the characters retain much of their former-life personalities while being primarily concerned with things like licking their paws and scavenging for their next meal. In putting this book down, I either quit too early, or this book would have made an excellent short story. Either way, I don't have the time to waste reading a book from which I'm getting neither enjoyment nor information. So, my copy is available to anyone who wants to read it after such a glowing review!

In other news: Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Segolene Royal win through to the run-off of France's presidential poll, Maradona is treated for alcoholism (I originally read that as "Madonna." I don't know who Maradona is.), Mischa Barton can't dress herself, and my tea is ready. Cheers!

Often, vanity is the only thing that keeps us going

Check out my friend Reid's blog. It made my day.

Shroud by John Banville

John Banville tells the story of a man, who reaching the end of his life having successfully hidden his true identity from the world, meets a young girl, overwhelmed by madness, who unravells it all.

The tale is not quickly moving, but the telling of it is wonderfully done. Banville's use of language is so poetic, making each instance in the story enchanting.

Intelligent, literary, philisophical, and historical; Banville touches on themes of madness, isolation, travel, and language.

I think there were a lot of things in this book that I misunderstood or passed right by without appreciating, and I feel that it may be an entirely different experience for another reader. But an experience definitely worth your while.

In other news: I dropped a bit of eggplant in my computer keyboard (you shouldn't eat at your desk), eating less salt can cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by one quarter, and Jessica Alba flashes her panties. All in a day's work!

In a World where Everything is Funny

What's in your Water?

A while back, I posted a blog about Fiji water. Well, as it turns out, it is not only not worth the cost to the environment to drink Fiji water, but it isn't worth it to drink ANY bottled water. With the costs for bottling and transporting, and especially the cost of the plastic bottle, we should really all go back to tap water. If the thought grosses you out, check out the National Assessment of Tapwater Quality Database to see how clean (or dirty) your water is and keep in mind that most modern communities have cleaner tap water than typical bottled water.

Those of you in Chicago and New York? Use a filter. Mom? Your water is good! Drink from the tap! My water is contaminated mostly with arsenic. Lovely.

Take a Walk

I would like to share with you a recent article by Garrison Keilor I think you will enjoy.

He urges you to go out into the world and take a walk. I urge you to do the same. Unless, of course, your world looks something like this:

my neighborhood

If that is the case, I understand and urge you to remain indoors and look at better parts of the world online.

mine, despite the snow

The Namesake

Yesterday I saw the movie The Namesake.


The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Jhumpa Lahiri and set in both New York and Calcutta. Telling the archetypal story of an immigrant family starting a new life in the U.S., we meet the Ganguli family from India. The movie centers around three important characters: Ashoke, the father, a professor who marries, and moves his wife to New York hoping to raise his family with the opportunities that America offers while holding on to his traditions; Ashima, the mother, who marries to escape the tradition and provinciality of her hometown only to find that she misses them desperately; and their son, Gogol, who is a callow and resentful youth who doesn't fit in completely with his peers, and rejects many of the traditions of his homelife.






The acting is magnificent; the scenes in Calcutta are colorful and realistic; and the story is moving. Though I was a little wary at first of the formulaic nature of the story, it was done so well that I just loved it.



In other news: Every house in the UK is being given a device that monitors exactly how much electricity is being used moment to moment; Severe obesity has tripled in five years despite education and weight-loss surgery (could something be wrong with our food?); An eyetracking study caught men, but not women, staring at a batter's crotch; And there is a theory that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives.

Straight, No Chaser.

It is Friday, April 13th and the world, it seems, is covered in snow. My world is, at least. I am drinking tea, missing the cream in Ireland, and listening to Thelonious Monk.

Curry and I just checked on our sad little tree, and I am cheered to see that it is going to make it even though the spring seems it will never arrive.

a bit of green!

In other news: The military has lowered its standards for new recruits taking the military aptitude test in order to allow more people to enlist (we've already enlisted all the smart people willing to make the sacrifice). A kindergartner in Avon Park, Florida was picked up by the police and charged with a felony for having a tantrum in class. And Happy Birthday to my step-grandfather who has turned 93 years old today!

Have you sent in your taxes yet?

Welcome to April. We are having a snow storm here. If that tickles your fancy, move to Colorado. If not, you have my permission to feel sorry for me.

The Word of the Week is quotidian, and its definition is one of the following:

quotidian (adj.) - alluding to something previously stated.

quotidian (adj.) - daily, ordinary or commonplace.

quotidian (adj.) - medicinal, unpalatable, disagreeable.

What does quotidian mean to YOU? Two points for using it in a sentence! (So far, it is two points for Lil Megora and two points for Dawn!)

In other news: Recently in cricket, Graeme Smith fell in the seventh over, nicking behind after he charged down the pitch and slogged wildly. Kate Moss has fat friends, Brandon Davis has NO friends, and I don't know who Brandon Davis is. And Isreal has set conditions on the upcoming talks with Syria demanding that they cut ties to Hamas, stop assisting Hizbollah, and alter its relationship with Iran.

Happy Passover!

It is my pleasure to bring you a new Word of the Week, which ought perhaps to be called Word of the Day, or Word of the Moment, or Word When I'm Inspired.

This moment's word is:

crapulent (adj) sick from gross excess in drinking or eating.

or is it.......

crapulent (adj) intellectually or morally ignorant.

or is it.......

crapulent (adj) characterized by or using low buffoonery; coarsly jocular or derisive.


For those of you who thought you might learn something from my blog, you can thank Lil Megora for the brilliant suggestion. Regardless of its meaning though, I think this word is just fabulous. Two points for using it in a sentence!

No Stamp in my Passport

I've been out of the country again! But now I'm back. Aside from causing me to feel foolish using loonies and toonies to pay for things, Canada is quite nice! (Here is a tidbit that I didn't learn until returning to the states: the nickname loonie was adopted because there is a picture of a bird on the one dollar coin).

The highlights of my trip (which was really to attend a conference though there are no pictures here of that since there were none worth taking):

A view of Toronto from the window of the Sheraton and a welcome respite from conference sessions.

Well, I found my favorite restaurant there! And I insisted on eating there every other day! Above, lemongrass and eggplant curry. Perfect with a cup of Ginger tea and mango juice.

Niagara Falls of course!

My wonderful hosts, Dawn and Erik, freezing and getting wet in front of Niagara Falls!

I also stopped in Chicago and was able to see almost everyone in my immediate family. Though I was pretty exhausted, I had a wonderful time and I should have taken pictures!

In other news: The E.P.A. is responsible and has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide emited from automobiles, Tara Reid's bikini almost fits, the Darfur conflict continues to spread violence to its neighbors, and Gilmore Girls is a rerun again this week.

Word of the Week

Frustrated with my small vocabulary relative to what is out there, I have decided to start a word of the week blog. It might happen more often. It might happen less often..... as blogs do. Feel free to use the word in your OWN sentence!

Appropriately, this week's word is nescience (n.) - lack of knowledge; ignorance.

The Soloist by Nicholas Christopher

Max Randal, a pianist of the caliber of Rubenstein is now 32 and preparing a come-back tour. A child prodigy, his pursuit of wine and women and a bit of a professional burn-out has gotten him to where he is now. Alone, nervous, and stuck. His first wife is dying, his second wife wants to get back together, and the mother of his only child is leaving their young daughter with him for the summer as he tries to prepare for his tour.

I think this book is mostly a tale of past relationships, deiscipline, and the passion in life aside from romantic love. Though the author has a hard time refraining from including the fantastic in his novels (in this case a just discovered never before heard Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody), he sure weaves a magnificent story.

Sometimes very technical (I actually jotted down some great practicing advice), Max talks through the work of preparing for a recital..... the memory, the nuance of playing, the mind games involved in keeping a repetoire in one's head and the pain of repetitive motion. Other reviews have called the writing pretentious (I found it right on, and actually quite enjoyable to read), the plot improbable (it is fiction, right?), and the characters flat. However, I enjoyed it. Being a pianist myself though, I cannot really recommend it to anyone else because they just might find it flat and pretentious!

In other news: Researchers are working on the development of artificial livers from stem cells of umbilical cord blood (so drink up!); the Cleveland Public Library, Harvard Law School, and Brown University all have books clad in skin stripped from executed criminals or from the poor (gah!); and Paris Hilton may face a three-month prison sentence for violating her probation by driving with a suspended license.