February
Detour
Filed under Uncategorized
Decided a day by the sea is in order. Two tickets for Naples for Feb 3. I dare you to take this pizza from me. 
:: Link to entry :: 2010-02-02 :: admin
Content
February
January
Buon Viaggio
Filed under That's Living
I won’t dwell on past absence, but only stop by my virtual placeholder a moment to announce my departure to Italy for a replenishing vacation. Will be staying near the Borghese Gardens in Roma for a few days then off to enjoy some monumental quiet, medieval style in nearby Toffia.
I don’t need a crystal ball to tell you there will be delicious food in my near future, and quite possibly a bit of stress-free living.
ciao.
3 comments :: Link to entry :: 2010-01-24 :: admin
September
Requiem
Filed under Hero
Recently Bentley, Butterfly’s beloved 19 year old Mazda pickup, had to go in for a check-up due to some cranky noises, boisterous smoke and iffy handling. We kept our fingers crossed for a good prognosis.
Turns out, the news wasn’t very good. The recommended procedure was very costly and in the long term wasn’t guaranteed to prolong Bentley’s life or even be certain to work at all. We chose to forgo extraordinary measures and let nature take its course.
That same day, we were delighted to learn that the owner of a slightly younger model was interested in Bentley. So after working out a few of the details we are happy to report that Bentley will be an organ-donor and continue to live on in the life of another much loved Mazda pickup.
Thanks for everything Bentley. Setting out from Texas, you travelled from coast to coast, finally to end back in Texas. You carried your load with style and shared your talents with many. You will be missed.
RIP
Bentley
1990 - 2009
:: Link to entry :: 2009-09-04 :: admin
August
Big Sky Country
Filed under That's Living
Heading out to Montana for 10 days. Looking forward to some hiking, 4-wheelin, cook-outs and laying in the cool (fire ant-less) grass.
Adios, triple-digit Dallas!
1 comment :: Link to entry :: 2009-08-14 :: admin
July
Thoughts on Open and Honest Communication
Filed under Creations + Curiosities + Music/Movie/Media + Random Mental Dishes + Rant + Soul
“Open and honest” communications are rare. People typically engage in socially acceptable conversations; problem-solving brainstorms; polite and appropriate exchanges of niceties; superficial divulgences of “confidence”; comfortable discussions of daily activities/events; confluences of mutual support/agony; comedic interpretations; nostalgic remembrances of prior days (judiciously edited for the conversation at hand); malicious gossip; entertaining breaks of humor; or mutually strategic diplomatic negotiations. In the rare moments when truly “open and honest” communication happens it is usually quite intimate.
I have for years been a student of The Four Agreements. In typing this now, I notice how “open and honest” are not goals:
Be Impeccable with your Word:
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. (Italics mine.)
“In the direction of truth and love” is not the same as “open and honest.”
Some of these directives I’m better at doing, some days I practice none of them with much grace. But I can’t say I ever really attempt or aim to have “open and honest” communications.
And from what I can tell, some people really, really, DON’T want to be on the receiving end of one anyway.
6 comments :: Link to entry :: 2009-07-22 :: admin
July
The last thing I need is you
Filed under Music/Movie/Media
I’m having so much fun listening to this song by Hooverphonic today.
————
Oh hell, what a glorious day it’s been,
Oh lord, look at the mess I’m in.
My car broke down,
So I waited for a shuttle bus,
It never came, instead, I’ve got the rain…
I broke a heel, I chipped a nail, I lost the dog, How could I feel?
On days like these, on days like these…
The last thing I need is you
And your black-and-white-views,
Pushing me over,
Making a bad day worse
What are you a curse
Hey why can’t you see, on days like these,
The last thing I need, is…
Gee whiz, what a barrel of fun it’s been
Oh yeah, laugh at the mess I’m in
Hey hey, what a triple odd place to be,
The doctor says, that it’s not good for me.
I broke a tooth, I’ve torn my shirt
I lost the zip, of my favorite skirt,
Then you told me, that I was a bore in bed.
The last thing I need is you,
And your black-and-white-views,
Pushing me over,
Making a bad day worse,
What are you, a curse?
Hey why can’t you see,
On days like these,
The last thing I need, is…
papapapapa…
papapapapa…
papapapapa…
papapapapa…
The last thing I need is you,
And your black-and-white-views,
Pushing me over,
Making a bad day worse,
What are you, a curse?
Hey why can’t you see,
When I’m in a rush, or lost in a queue,
When I need a break, The last thing I need is…
2 comments :: Link to entry :: 2009-07-02 :: admin
June
The Mating Game
Filed under Politics
Recently I’ve been seeing these bumperstickers around town
It makes me want to start selling these, so that people can easily afix them to the existing stickers and “amend” the statement as they see fit.
2 comments :: Link to entry :: 2009-06-24 :: admin
June
Let The Music Play On
Filed under Uncategorized
So, perhaps our task in this shaky, fast changing, bewildering world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.
- Rabbi Jack Reimer writing about Itzhak Perlman in The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things
1 comment :: Link to entry :: 2009-06-11 :: admin
June
Life in Texas
Filed under Curiosities
We had an unannounced house guest last weekend. At first it was a bit of a horrific surprise, but after a bit she became a curious new entity to discover. Apparently some people even keep these “Stick Bugs” as pets.
I’ll ’stick’ with Tukla.
(NOTE: the width of each of the wooden boards is 6 inches.)
3 comments :: Link to entry :: 2009-06-09 :: admin
May
Strawberry Fields Forever
Filed under Creations + Food + That's Living
Over the weekend one of Butterfly’s students gave her a dozen large strawberries fresh from California, so I knocked out the following twist on your basic strawberries and cream.
I simmered a couple cups of red wine with a cinnamon stick, some orange peel, a few pitted cherries and a dash of agave nectar. After the mixture reduced down to a thin syrup I removed the stick and peels and poured it over the sliced strawberries. I let it sit overnight and served it the next day with a dollop of mascarpone. Lovely!
3 comments :: Link to entry :: 2009-05-26 :: admin