something about coffee

I'M GOING TO SOUTH DAKOTA, BABY!

2012-01-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

(In two and a half months. Just got my tickets.)

's about right

2012-01-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

oh, you know -

2012-01-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

- just your average Thursday morning, poking around for cactus fruits ("tunas") at the 17th Street Market.

artist of my eye: HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON

2012-01-25T09:30:00.001-08:00

P.S. I can hear Joe (my Norway photo-friend) balking if I didn't include this one:

live now

2012-01-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

For those who can't see it on c-span, here's the PDF of Gabby's resignation letter.

some nice looking gourds

2012-01-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

In other news, I drove around Tucson for 4.5 hours today GPS-ing taco truck locations.

Gabby

2012-01-22T12:16:00.001-08:00

artist of my ear: WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

2012-01-22T06:56:00.001-08:00

Specifically, his last composition - Requiem in D minor, K 626.

um, so this is what my heart looks like when it's melting

2012-01-21T22:21:00.001-08:00

can barely see the cottonwood line

2012-01-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

this morning in Cascabel

2012-01-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

FARM VISIT!

2012-01-19T05:13:00.000-08:00

Gearing up for farm visit #2 (of THA-REE!) this week. This time to visit a pair of (FRIENDS!) rural producers just outside of Cascabel, AZ. Golly, I cannot wait.

plastic beads and picture frames at the base of Tumamoc

2012-01-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

a kestrel at the top of a hill

2012-01-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

3rd Anniversary Work Day @ Tucson Village Farm

2012-01-16T12:39:00.001-08:00

jog home

2012-01-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

partAAAy in the park!

2012-01-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

P.S. This is Josie. She's a healer. And HILARIOUS.

maine rewind

2012-01-14T06:51:00.000-08:00

missing these goofs

with thanks to Joey, an old friend, who shared this passage:

2012-01-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

"Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a great ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.

I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy - ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness--that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what--at last--I have found.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.

Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate this evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.

This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me."

-Bertrand Russell

39 degree sunrise jog

2012-01-11T07:46:00.000-08:00

As I trotted up the driveway to my house, I saw a pack of coyotes peeking at me from behind a few prickly pears.

like falafel, but not

2012-01-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

Tucson Vigil - 1.8.2012

2012-01-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

it's been one year

2012-01-08T06:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Tucson, on NPR

artist of my eye: MEGHAN URBACK

2012-01-08T06:14:00.001-08:00

INTERVIEW CHAMP!!!

2012-01-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

alternative title:

my cousins kick some major tush

(and are my superheroes to the max)

sunrise friday with gina

2012-01-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

lazy afternoon in the grass and shooting hoops

2012-01-05T18:21:00.000-08:00

MORE FAM VISITS! WHOOP WHOOP!

2012-01-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that I'm running on fumes (perpetuated by a caffeinated haze) and my arms are overcooked noodles or globby jello (thanks to Gina, who made a workout class two hours before sunrise sound like a good idea) -- it's warm outside, the house smells wonderful and my cousin is here. In a few, we're heading out to the basketball courts (for him) and pool (for me) and tonight we'll sit around and gab and eat cheesecake (him) and homemade tootsie rolls (me).

The house feels so full with an extra toothbrush on the counter and even more computer cords in the kitchen. Mille has glued herself to his side; every time he moves I hear her nails pitter-patter up and down the tile floor.

Cuz's

punk rock: beer can earrings

2012-01-03T05:52:00.000-08:00

In a dog-influenced weak moment, I bought these earrings from a do-it-yourself artist in the neighborhood who likes retrofitting beer cans into metal flowers and jewelry.

today we turned the compost bin and i got to thinking...

2012-01-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

It's nearly time to begin seeding tomatoes. Okay, not "nearly time," but in about a month.

STILL. That's completely nuts!

P.S. Courtesy of phone cameras, this might be what my dog's dream-land looks like:

2011 word cloud

2012-01-01T05:06:00.001-08:00

I'm a big fan of "leap smear," "humblebrag" and perhaps most especially, "Kardash."

artist of my eye: RAOUL DUFY

2012-01-01T04:48:00.001-08:00

BRING IT, 2012!

2011-12-31T17:17:00.000-08:00

just delightful

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

P.S. A thank you to Amanda for sharing this link.

mourning dove hang-out

2011-12-28T19:12:00.001-08:00

to quote calvin and hobbes -

2011-12-28T19:07:00.001-08:00

the days are just packed

Trial 7: Three ingredient "tootsie" chews!

2011-12-28T05:28:00.000-08:00

Ingredient List: cocoa powder (Real McCoy), honey and natural peanut butter; especially good with a pinch of sea salt

Switching gears. If you're mourning Andy Rooney (and especially if you're a woman and over 40), you've got to check this out. Especially the last line.

Tucson-style

2011-12-27T06:50:00.000-08:00

Two days ago I heard rumors of a house, about 2 miles away, with some spectacular decorations, including a fake palm tree. Knitted caps donned, we walked up there after supper to check it out.

my old stompin' ground, minus the tennis rackets (hallelujah)

2011-12-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

mongo menorah

Christmakkah!

2011-12-25T20:48:00.001-08:00

Winter salad with lettuce and arugula from Menlo Park!

Topped with roasted butternut squash, pear, avocados (we have boatloads), scallion and a citrus dressing (with oranges we picked from our droopy tree).

A pizza for the 'rents that kinda looks like a Christmas tree. (Just squint.)

Shmeared dough with sun-dried tomato pesto. Sautéed the hell out of a couple purple onions and mushrooms with balsamic vinegar and honey and layered 'em with red pepper (from Willow!) and mozzarella.

We also slurped some tomato-basil soup with chunks of fennel. I forgot to take a photo.

Then I went bonkers as my mom tried to take "One decent photo of The Kid." Twenty two photographs later, she gave up.

Happy Christmas and last-night

2011-12-25T07:28:00.000-08:00

Last night at the Unitarian Universalist Christmas Eve service, we wrapped up the night holding white candles and lighting our neighbors, all from the same chalice flame. The lights dimmed and we listened to a traditional Austrian carol plucked on a harp (a few babies cried throughout). There wasn't prayer, there were a couple Jesus references (obviously), but it was welcoming to everybody. Also, a lot of people wore flannel and jeans. They projected Christmas song lyrics on a big screen, so I could sing along, too -- that might've been my favorite part. I really didn't mind singing songs whose lyrics didn't jive with my sense of self or personal beliefs. It felt unbelievably good to be recognizing a day, steeped in history, with other people in my community. I already can't wait for next year.

freedom and hope

2011-12-24T15:01:00.000-08:00

There is a dinky, mechanized Christmas tree and a very old menorah on my kitchen table. I'm going to my first Christmas service ever (!) tonight with one of my two Iowan ladies at the Unitarian Universalist church. Tomorrow night, after Christmas shindigs (eat-a-thons) around the neighborhood, my family will whip out the Strike Anywheres and do our special Hanukkah spiel. (By which I mean, we'll light the candles and say about 12 words in Hebrew.)

I was a little bit nervous about attending the Christmas service tonight, but then I remembered something my dad told me. He reminded me that when you condense Hanukkah and Christmas down to their purest meanings (past the gifts, religious fervor, whatever) Hanukkah is really about freedom and Christmas is about hope and new beginnings. When I thought about that, I felt really glad to give Christmas a plug. I am so thrilled to spend tonight with one of my girls. Better go get ready.

why tip-toe around the issue?

2011-12-24T14:59:00.000-08:00

My fashion sense = ZERO.

what vacation also looks like

2011-12-24T07:16:00.001-08:00

Thirteen more days of vegetating with a stack of 53 books at the foot of my bed.

Item of note: Huffington Post is going to have a book club. PUNKROCK!

that line from Fried Green Tomatoes

2011-12-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

You know that line in Fried Green Tomatoes when Ninny tells Evelyn that "friends, best friends" are the most important thing in life? Hot damn, that girl nailed it. There was a moment yesterday -- amid breathtaking laughter that nearly resulted in snorted coffee on a nearby piece of carrot cake -- that I looked at my life (aerial view-style) and thought about two things: One, there was no where else on this planet I wanted to be other than saddled side by side with my friend, snorting coffee. And two, that no matter how much "future trajectory" nervous nellies (ie. jobs, grad school, the like) occupy my thoughts -- there is nothing more life affirming, and really, nothing that feels so good as being with people I'm smitten with. When I gab with my friends, I don't doubt myself for a moment. I don't question where I'm at or what I'm doing because everything (think: stars aligned) seems clear: I am me, they are them, this moment is for us. I don't believe in being "Blessed," but I do believe (emphatically) in friends. I spent all of yesterday gabbing; I spent all evening laughing so hard I cried four times. (Today my abs hurt real bad.) And as I climbed into bed after the laugh-attacks, I rewound the day, like I always do - but my brain charged up rather than down. I felt like I was going to explode -- not from holiday fervor -- but from stretched-out moments with the simplest, arguably most-human purposes: to listen, to eye roll, to cuss with exuberance, to give, to hold hands, to be unhurried.

EGHGHKDJGHGHGHHGLSKDHG

2011-12-23T07:11:00.001-08:00

That is the sound of me puking up my spleen while whipping out my iPhone.

On a less morbid note, I think her title choice is a hoot.

regarding broccoli rabe

2011-12-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

In regard to the subject heading, either I don't know how to cook broccoli rabe or broccoli rabe tastes like sour grass.

P.S. A nightcap etymology: The word "Encourage" dates back to the fifteenth century (latin roots) and literally means to inspire courage. I've been reading this book about linguistics and semantics and for some reason the little bit about "encourage" -- an everyday, arguably kind of bland sort of word -- made me pause for a moment.

What the heck is the Continental Divide?

2011-12-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

I've crossed the Continental not once, not twice, but about eight times this year and it occurred to me today -- a delayed lightbulb -- that I had no idea what the heck it is. OH heavens Betsy. HELLO, GOOGLE!

Also called the "Great Divide," it's a natural boundary line that separates water that flows into the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific. It's a north-south line that runs from Alaska to South America. In the Lower 48, it follows the Rockies.

AUDIO

2011-12-22T06:09:00.000-08:00

Since listening to The Marriage Plot, I’ve been trying to figure out how an audio book could wield such a possessive force that I felt inclined to stop everything (showering included; gross) to listen. It takes a good plot to do this (duh). But it also occurs to me how much I enjoyed the inherent nature of the medium (audio!) with which I processed the story. I had a complete lack of internal debate while listening to The Marriage Plot. When I read dialog, sometimes I get hung up on a short phrase. I question the inflection with which that part should be read. Is this curt? Is this subtle? Sometimes I read a piece of dialog out loud, trying out different voices, three or four times before moving on. (Yes, I'm that person muttering aloud to themselves on the city bus.) But this time, by listening, I didn’t have to make any of those decisions because the reader made all those interpretations (and, thankfully, I liked his taste). It was perfectly effortless.

excessive cuddle monster

2011-12-21T22:09:00.001-08:00

While flipping through a giant Frida Kahlo book from the library, my pal decided she wanted a belly rub.

trajectory

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'll be soaking up Tucson -- its crisp air and flair -- for at least a few more months.

still rewinding England

2011-12-19T18:46:00.000-08:00

across the pond

2011-12-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

Eight years ago I lived in England, surrounded by sexiling girls I pretended to understand, cussing poetry teachers who told us to "shut the fuck up," and a boy with blonde hair and acne who liked soccer (*swoon*) and plays (*double swoon*) and who I quietly liked but didn't feel compelled to tell him so.

I especially like remembering late-summer afternoons, after law exams and writing exercises: I'd sit on the steps of the Bodleian Library with a McDonalds' ice cream cone, loving my prime vantage point for wedding photo shoots. Two times a week, when I had afternoons off, I wandered dusty Oxford streets, visiting every museum within two miles of St. Peter's. During lunch I'd avoid the cafeteria and eat sandwiches on dormitory steps with David, my friend from Guam. He and I poured over The Guardian newspaper and listened to make-out stories from Marie (with the hot-pink hair) and drunk Dr. Peppers. Sometimes I'd avoid David and Marie all together and I'd wander over to Modern Art Oxford (eating my sandwich along the way) where I re-watched a bizarre silent movie, projected on the white wall and then, growing comically bored, I'd watch the movie-watchers instead.

And on my last day in England, my law professor named Paz hollered at me from three stories up. I ran across the cobblestones and stood just beneath her window; she threw something out that landed by my my shoes (green Converse). I picked it up and when I looked up I saw she had shut her window and was waving and smiling from inside. She stepped backward out of view--that was the last I ever saw her (although we remained cross-Atlantic pen pals)--and I looked in my hands and untaped the plastic wrapping. Inside were two Chilean earrings. That afternoon I had a palm-sweaty public presentation for my law class--the culmination of the course. In a note, scrawled inside, Paz told me she was channeling good vibes and should wear the earrings. To this day, that little-note-thrown-out-the-third-story-window is one of the most Classically Romantic gestures I've ever experienced.

punkrock fam

2011-12-18T07:01:00.000-08:00

artist of my eye: WILLY RONIS

2011-12-17T03:49:00.000-08:00

I have looked at these photographs for a long time, for many years. The last one is, perhaps, the most incredible photograph I've ever seen in my life.

Joe

2011-12-17T02:12:00.000-08:00

words, words, words!

2011-12-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

papple: to do what babies do to soup with their spoons

timble: to fall over very gently, look around to see who's about, and then yell blue murder

glassel: a seaside pebble which was shiny and interesting when wet, and which is now a lump of rock, which children nevertheless insist on filling their suitcases with after the holiday

iPhone fog & chilly dog

2011-12-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Mille has planted herself by this space heater and will only be coerced into moving when she hears me shuffle (slipper socks) toward the door to the backyard (playground).

DIY: Homemade Tootsie Rolls!

2011-12-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

Experiment #1 Ingredients:

cocoa powder, honey & butter

Experiment #2 Ingredients:

cocoa powder, honey, almond butter

impromptu

2011-12-15T07:13:00.000-08:00

On a whim, spent yesterday afternoon reading about novel-writing, skimming an Oscar Wilde play that I may or may not read in full, and chatting with a father and son about shriveled oranges suspended above us in a droopy looking citrus tree.

artist of my eye: alfred eisenstaedt

2011-12-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

Kissing the War Goodbye

8.14.1945

self portrait

dessert revelation: no-bake cookies

2011-12-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

Coffee is Sexy

2011-12-13T06:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was asked why I love coffee. After giving it a bit of thought, mug in hand, my one-sentence response is that coffee is a pretty sexy drink. Then I decided to write three paragraphs.

Coffee is Sexy

Beatrice and Frank are people of routine. Each morning a faint buzz emanates from the back of the house. The buzz grows louder as it makes its way into the kitchen. Dishes clank; the laundry machine may fill up with water. Then the buzz retreats back up the hallway, into the back bedroom and Frank’s electric toothbrush turns off. Beatrice’s routines are less audible. After a perfunctory trip to the bathroom, she shuffles into the carpeted computer room—in the winter, a blanket may cover her shoulders—and she’ll check her email or Huffington Post until some other task (walking the dog, eating cereal, work) urges her out of the swivel chair and into long pants.

What’s depressing about this picture is not its humdrum, typically uninspired nature of morning wake-ups. It’s depressing because there’s no coffee.

I’m not one of those “coffee is the nectar of the gods” sorts of people. I don’t live for the “buzz.” In fact, I admonish black cups that yield overly-jittery mornings that linger past lunch. But a morning without coffee (or, I’ll be generous, without tea) becomes unmarked, lost in a haze of more and less important “to-dos” of the day. A morning coffee it isn’t nourishing in the way an omelet with red peppers is nourishing. In fact, if you look at the world only through the lens of life-sustaining foods, no five-calorie drink realistically makes the cut. Coffee drinking is an act that is more or less unnecessary. It wouldn’t kill you to delay coffee drinking for a few hours; if you put off peeing or taking some important pills, the results could be disastrous. In short, a cup of coffee is a comparatively superfluous delight. Drinking coffee signals: I want the house to smell good. It says: This is just for me. It always says: Shut up and don’t nag. And even in a travel cup it says: Baby, sip me slowly.

artist of my eye: PAUL KLEE

2011-12-12T07:04:00.000-08:00

my dad, a trooper

2011-12-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

First iPhone tutorial.

translated by Mary Barnard

2011-12-11T14:14:00.000-08:00

Standing by my bed

In gold sandals

Dawn that very

moment awoke me

Reading this made me question two things: One, what was Sappho's view, standing by her bed? Was there a window? Two, how were sixth century Greek sandals manufactured to appear gold?

audio book addiction: Eugenides

2011-12-11T09:53:00.001-08:00

Can't take my headphones off.

baby, it's cold outside #2

2011-12-10T20:47:00.000-08:00

baby, it's cold outside

2011-12-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

ROAD TRIP! ROAD TRIP! ROAD TRIP!

2011-12-08T05:12:00.000-08:00

PEACE OUT!

late planting: heirloom garlic

2011-12-07T06:05:00.001-08:00

green tomatoes in December

2011-12-07T04:48:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's garden harvest (before a killing frost).

artist of my eye: FRANCISCO DE GOYA

2011-12-06T08:43:00.001-08:00

garlic skins before compost

2011-12-06T06:05:00.000-08:00

How do you feel about eating savory foods for breakfast? (I'm currently nibbling: brown rice pasta, roasted squash, garden pesto. Punkrock.)

In other news: I'm traveling to New Mexico later this week and rather than listen to crappy hip-hop on repeat (LOVE!) I thought I would try to generate a few brain cells, rather than lose them. I checked out two audio books from the library yesterday, the first of which is: These Is My Words by Sarah Agnes Prine. Her diary begins in 1881 and walks readers, as far as I can tell, through her life exploring and crossing the Arizona Territories. The second book is Jeffery Eugindes' The Marriage Plot!

Of note: I reserved Jeffery's audio book last week and it's now in my hands; my friend Katie reserved the book-book and she's #287 in the wait line. If you're in Katie's camp, and you don't mind wearing headphones for the next three days, try reserving the audio version.

iPhone snap: Catalina's blanketed by low clouds

2011-12-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

I woke up feeling quite chilly...

2011-12-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

...under four blankets. It's a balmy 63 degrees in the house. My cold endurance decided to peace-out.

In other news, I might groan if I look at another frittata, but I ended my 'ttata streak on a good note. The ingredients: caramelized onion, roasted tomato and garlic, lots of backyard herbs (dried), eggs and cheese.

smart ranching and feeding the future

2011-12-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

A short video with the terrific fellas and wonderful lady I work with.

zested orange on a misty, Sunday morning

2011-12-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

artist of my eye: JACOB LAWRENCE

2011-12-03T10:36:00.001-08:00

DIY: Calendar Journal

2011-12-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Ashley at DesignSponge - this is a multi-year calendar where you write a sentence a day. I've divided each month with a special place-card -- favorite photographs and postcards. I'm positively smitten!

feeling crafty!

2011-12-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

tucson sunsets invariably take the cake

2011-11-30T06:48:00.000-08:00

from Antigone's book shop on 4th avenue

2011-11-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

WHA!?

2011-11-26T18:41:00.000-08:00

Did you know that ACE Perry Cider, with a PEAR ON THE LABEL, has no pear juice in it!?

I've been hoodwinked!

But... that's okay.

It's still scrumptious.

floating cranberries are awfully cute...

2011-11-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

...and tart-as heck when mindlessly chewed. Oops.

cloudy sunrise; raindrops on the window

2011-11-25T06:07:00.000-08:00

Quiet morning. Sleepers down the hall. Sipping coffee; wearing a mammoth sweatshirt by a slightly-open window. Going to listen to some deliciously awful hip-hop music on my headphones.

my family of turkeys

2011-11-24T21:31:00.000-08:00

... Mille snoozing underfoot and third grade jokes from family goofballs.

D.I.Y. Place Settings: PART TWO

2011-11-24T20:43:00.000-08:00

Step #3:

Attach name tag around a glass or homemade treat!

(Here's the link to Part One.)

D.I.Y. Place Settings: PART ONE

2011-11-23T16:06:00.001-08:00

What you need:

Mod Podge (or glaze of choice)

ink pen

notecards

hemp or rafia

junky paintbrushes

chalk pastels

Step #1:

Using an ink pen, design names.

Step #2:

Add color with pastels, using your fingers to soften the edges.

Glaze with Mod Podge and dry for at least an hour.

P.S. If a friend might bring a guest (but you don't know his/her name), there are ways to work around that blip and still give him/her a memorable name tag!

Here's Part II.

autumn arrival

2011-11-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

My windows stay open all day long now. Mille's getting friskier.

Tucson Pride

2011-11-21T06:12:00.001-08:00

love my home

Occupy Tucson

2011-11-21T05:58:00.000-08:00

heritage food wagon

2011-11-20T03:56:00.000-08:00

finally! the heritage food wagon is here!

a cocoa bean i brought back from Guate!

2011-11-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

new room additions:

2011-11-18T11:26:00.001-08:00

another homecoming

2011-11-16T19:03:00.001-08:00

what finds!

2011-11-15T05:46:00.001-08:00

watercolor & walks before snow-flurries

2011-11-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

grass and clouds around Lordsburg, NM

2011-11-13T22:18:00.001-08:00

Cloud 9: Vallecitos, NM

2011-11-12T15:43:00.000-08:00