Neighbors

Neighbors. Fences make good neighbors. Just kidding. 

When people surprise me in humorous or good ways, I notice. Anything to liven up an otherwise mundane or average day, should be appreciated-- and maybe shared too.  So, I'm holding up my end of the obligation to share some unusual neighborly interactions.  Note, for those of you who may not know, my name is not Dave, Julian, or Monica. I was on the sidelines for this interaction. The pictures tell the story below.  I'll help with a few captions.

This Morning

Note taped to windowed panel by the front door of the building:

(Dear Salty Dave in Apt 12:
THIS MEANS WAAAAR!!!

Just kidding. Your message is humbly received.
Our apologies to you and our neighbors-
no more smoking in front of the apartment! 

-Monica and Julian)

Tonight:

 When I came home you could see Salty Dave's response:

(Thanks for your consideration.
And apologies for the saltiness. - Dave)

Cream Sauce

Lately I've made a cream sauce a couple of times, on a whim, not following a recipe. I mentioned it to a friend and she wanted the recipe. One snag, this friend doesn't eat pork. So, I made a new version of the cream sauce recipe tonight, minus the bacon/prosciutto. If you want to add back in the bacon/prosciutto, you need about two pieces of either, (bacon already cooked) and add it in with the onion and garlic. I usually add spinach during the last step, and maybe peas, carrots, and broccoli if I'm trying to cram in a lot of veggies.


Here is the recipe:


Parmesan Cream Sauce Recipe (serves 2):

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 pint of non-fat half & half

1 chopped garlic clove

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1 teaspoon sea salt

pinch of black pepper

a few flakes of crushed red pepper (or more if you like it spicy)

1 cup of chicken (cooked)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan, or Parmesan-Romano blend

On low medium-low heat, saute chopped red onion and garlic clove, until tender, in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1/4 cup of cooked chicken, saute another 30 seconds. Add 1/2 pint of half & half. Continue to simmer on low heat (if it starts to bubble turn it down). Add sea salt (I did three turns on my sea salt grinder), black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Continue to simmer on low-heat another 2 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and remainder of chicken. Remove from heat, toss with pasta.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate

Mmm. Peanut butter and chocolate is a great dessert combination. Reminds me of the cupcakes my friend made me for my birthday once. Black-bottom cupcakes are also delicious. Savory and sweet. I have neither tonight, but there is always tomorrow...

Equal Attention

As I walked through Boston's Public Garden this morning, there was a little girl-- probably just over a year old-- who made sure she gave the same loving attention to each of these ducks. It was quite cute how she systematically went down the line to make sure they all got the same pat and rub on the head. I thought I should share because it made me smile.

Blues Run the Game

Home again, after a day spent wandering, browsing in shops. I'm about to make dinner (I think BBQ chicken quesadillas)... and I have my feet up for a few minutes while I listen to some music. Here's what's playing now: Blues Run the Game and next up... Florence and the Machine.

Dreams

A nice, mellow song to listen to while drifting off to sleep... Dreams.

Dear Photograph

An interesting website... Dear Photograph.

We Address

We Address


                by Norma Cole 



…a lead pencil held between thumb and forefinger 
of each hand forms a bridge upon which 
two struggling figures, "blood all around"… 



I was born in a city between colored wrappers 



I was born in a city the color of steam, between two pillars, between pillars and curtains, it was up to me to pull the splinters out of the child's feet 



I want to wake up and see you sea green and leaf green, the problem of ripeness. On Monday I wrote it out, grayed out. In that case spirit was terminology 



In that case meant all we could do. Very slowly, brighter, difficult and darker. Very bright and slowly. Quietly lions or tigers on a black ground, here the sea is ice, wine is ice 



I am in your state now. They compared white with red. So they hung the numbers and colors from upthrusting branches. The problem was light 



Our friend arrived unexpectedly dressed in black and taller than we remembered. In the same sky ribbons and scales of bright balance 



The problem and its history. Today a rose-colored sky. Greens vary from yellow to brown. Brighter than ink, the supposition tells the omission of an entire color 



Which didn't have a musical equivalent. In those days the earth was blue, something to play. A person yearned to be stone 



Clearly a lion or sphinx-like shape. The repetition of gesture is reiterated in the movement of ambient light on the windows, curtains, and on the facing wall, the problem 



and its green ribbons. The hands almost always meet. Turquoise adrenaline illusions adjacent to memory, to mind. We address 



memory, the senses, or pages on a double sheet, classical frontal framing. I want you to wake up now



Lime

Well, well, well... Maybe my Friday needs a little lime.

Check-List

So, rumor has it I'm moving again. And I am. The planning is underway, and although I haven't officially written a list of things to do, I am already mentally ticking things off.  I've made a lot of progress in just a few days. And I'm drinking juice instead of wine. It must mean I'm getting down to business. Or, that I'm out of wine. Just kidding. I'm going to have a little down-time while I wrap up one place, and head into my next. I have a couple of ideas for some things I might do...But if you have any interesting suggestions that I can squeeze while packing & planning, send them my way. I am not promising I'll take you up on them, but I'll read them and if they sound fun or 'up my alley' I might actually explore them.

Okay, it's getting late. Here's a night-time song.

Song of the Day

Song of the Day

Living Room Dancing

There was this great song for Saturday afternoon living room dancing... It came on my ipod just as I was going out for my run. I had to stop and do a little living room dance. I can't find the right version on youtube though... So, I found another one to share with you. I picked this version, instead of the original Cheap Trick version, because it looks fun & people are dancing...

Bishop Bucks and Other Stuff

As of late, you may have noticed more postings related to politics and activism around various issues (a few in particular). By and large, I do not think the very LOUD, very DIVISIVE, very UNREASONABLE voices that are flooding the media (mostly due to the election cycle), reflect the views of the average American-- Democrat, Independent, or Republican; male or female. I think, instead, we just have a few very obnoxious, power-hungry people on an irrational tirade that often isn't even loosely linked to facts or real understanding of the issues.  Issues are being distorted, facts are being ignored, and there is clearly a lack of respect for integrity.
Unfortunately, those people are getting a lot of attention right now. It's scary because they behave as if they have the majority of Americans 'on their side' and are 'speaking out' under the guise that they are looking out for the best interests of the American people. They dismiss or ignore any factual evidence to the contrary. They don't care if they are perpetuating information that is not based in reality. They don't care if they are twisting statistics. They don't care if they are taking words out of context.  They only care about their own selfish motives-- usually power. The adage 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease' comes to mind.
So, I feel like I need to do my part to speak up to try to provide some counter balance to the dialogue. To let people know that I do not agree with or support, these really vocal, really extreme, really unbalanced men and women who are permeating the media. To speak up to point out the absurdity.  As Ani would say "Face Up and Sing." And I appreciate that some people, like Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart can do it with humor... there's nothing like a little Satire to the Rescue.

GOP

We all like a good laugh. But seriously, stop it. 

We do vote.

I learned 2 things early on, my sister said. The first is don't blame people for being the way they are. What's the second? I said. She smiled. If they're really stupid she said, go ahead & blame them. It's a really simple philosophy, she added.

-StoryPeople

Up, Up and Away

'Up, up, and away' as one of my friends wrote to me recently.  Somehow this seemed to be just the kind of advice I was in the mood to get. Interpret it as you wish.


StoryPeople quote of the day:
What happened to you? I said & she said she was nurturing the cat against its will & that was the end of that conversation.


Song of the day:
The Calculation


Food for thought:
How casually and unobservedly we make all our most valued acquaintances.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I Plaza San Martin (Tango)

(side note, I've been here!)

JOHN BURNSIDE  

IN ARGENTINA

I Plaza San Martin (Tango)

---------

I keep coming back

to the city I know from a dream:

no one at large on the streets

and the land all around me

haunted by winds

and the silt-coloured murmur

of gauchos.

By day, it is never like that:

there are buildings and people,

women with flames in their eyes

and a river of boys

who are hoping for something more

than manhood

- a tango, say,

a dance they can sift from the night

or a song in the blood

that others could see

in the slow work we make

of a lifetime.

The days are all guesswork and noise,

like the business of a home,

but now and again

for moments that don’t quite begin

a person can come to himself

on San Martin

-a person not quite

the person I might have been

and no more or less happy or true

than a stranger’s childhood

-come to himself at noon

as a waking dream

and matching the shadows he knows

with the shadows he finds

in the garnet and star-tinted blooms

of the palos borrachos. 

Cat Power

Musician of the evening, Cat Powers... I like her voice.

Lived in Bars

Maybe Not

Dreams

Earth/Art

Photo Credit: FinerMinds

Story Time

My mother always told me to finish what I started, but she had no idea of some of the people I'd be dealing with. 


Some of the stuff I learned early on was useful, she told me, but most of it was obviously meant for someone who was not me.


My grandmother kept a box of old photos in her attic & we used to go up there on rainy days & sit on the floor in the dusty light & go through them & she would tell about witches & broken hearts & how we came from royal blood & it was all there in the pictures, she said & then we'd lose the light & we'd all go downstairs for dinner & in our secret hearts we sat taller knowing once we had ruled the world.


-StoryPeople

plural happiness

                                -David Rivard

"A curtain bellying like a pregnant cloud, warm white

light refracted through a tumbler of peat-smoked scotch—

a scorcher of a day at cooling end, with stupendous berries

to eat in lieu of supper, the scoffed pint box of blueberries

chased by a half of cantaloupe & Maytag blue cheese

spread across the remains of last night's baguette—

a plural happiness—I feel encouraged for all

within range"

Simple Life, Sunny Days

Well, it's time for the weekend... something relaxing...

Simple Life

I Was Made for Sunny Days

Gotta Have You

Afternoon Tunes

Some afternoon tunes:

The Joker

Good Things

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Contraceptive Nonsense

I'm getting super angry about this 'debate' about whether or not contraception should be covered. Of course it should be covered and there are a lot of other people who agree...

"While GOP and some religious leaders are busy blasting the new birth control regulation, are they even listening to the 99% of sexually-active women who use birth control? Might be surprised at what they find – the majority of Catholics are actually more supportive of the provision than the rest of the country." Planned Parenthood.


End the nonsense conversations about contraception.

Coffee

Coincidentally, I have a coffee-story post today. I don't usually share personal experiences but this one was interesting.
Monday I stopped by Finagle a Bagel on my way to work for a coffee. I ordered a French Vanilla coffee, medium. They have a habit there of not asking if you have a cream or milk preference and assume you'll add an inch of cream to your coffee. So, they don't fill it up all the way.  However, I don't put that much cream in my coffee, so I asked if my server if he would add a little more coffee. And that was when I noticed he was giving me regular coffee, not French Vanilla. So, I politely said- that's regular, not French Vanilla, to which he shrugged and said "It's all the same." And I said, "No, it's not.  I ordered French Vanilla." So, he got a new cup and started pouring French Vanilla...when the coffee pot ran dry, he decided, knowing I was watching, to start adding REGULAR again. I interrupted and asked what he was doing, and at that point his co-worker kindly jumped in to rescue me. He said it would just take a few minutes to brew some more, and handed me an empty cup to add as much cream and sugar as I wanted prior to the cup being filled. He said "It'll save you a little time." I was relieved someone was making sense. I eventually got my coffee and left.
The story doesn't end here though. Today I went back...and it was "Mr.-It's-All-The-Same"...and I didn't say anything but ordered my French Vanilla coffee. He immediately said, "Are you that girl from the other day?" And I said yes. He said "I'm really sorry about that. It was a long morning, the Pats had lost...it was just a bad day. Really, I'm sorry about that." To which I smiled, and happily accepted his apology.
So, how about that? Who would think that someone would apologize 4 days later for something like that? I was totally surprised. And totally impressed.
People act in frustrating/upsetting ways you don't expect, but they also act in surprising good ways, too. I like it when the good surprises come out. It's a good reminder.

Blue Moon

A lovely, relaxed version of Blue Moon.

Strawberry Shortcake, Banana Split...

I know this great soccer chant that starts that way...
But anyway, everyone can use a little dessert now and then... so, a banana split might be in order.

Maybe some more new music.

Norah Jones

Sarah Blasko

Admittedly Stolen

Okay, this post is admittedly stolen from a friend (Gifted). But it's too good to pass up...

Read the article: How Susan G. Komen For The Cure Torpedoed Its Brand

The Cigarette Duet and Others

The Cigarette Duet

It's Raining

Wish I Only Knew

Bobbing for Apples

Potato Chip Cookies

Time for an update from the blog of Smitten Kitchen. Yes, she has a recipe for Potato Chip Cookies. I really love people who are big enough to admit quirky, possibly disdainful, guilty pleasures that might gross out a few people. What's yours?  

I'm sure I have a lot...Eggs on toast with peanut butter and home-made strawberry jam (freezer jam, not cooked fruit). Often when I was sick as a child, when I would wake up at 10pm, hungry I would often get this as comfort food.  Hmm... American cheese. I love many, many cheeses, but I also love American cheese... on cheeseburgers, in grilled cheese, etc.  Sorry, but cheddar doesn't cut it here. Cheddar isn't a particularly good cheese for melting... What else? Hotdogs.  Spam—I argue it’s not much different than sausage or pâté. Okay, Spam isn’t a guilty pleasure food for me but I am not opposed to it. I'm sure I have more though.

Dislikes... jalepeños, green bell peppers, raw tomatoes, liver, seaweed, pâté… and no interest in caviar.   


Song of the day: I Go To The Barn Because I Like The 

i want to

And I need something new
Yes I need something new

The phone line outside my house
Wonder what words it has seen
What would happen if they all spilled out
And, I got the lovley ones for free

Tie them in a bow and send them your way
On the fastest train I know, to get to you
Do I really need a reason besides "I want to"...


...jllian edwards