The Metaphorical Magpie

Auspicious tidings

This morning my horoscope reads: " Gemini- Take your bright, intellectual style with you into the New Year. You're full of ideas and many of them will catch on. Leave in the past your tendency to over-think things."

Whoo-hoo!!!

I'd already been "over-thinking" the new year and my goals for what it would bring. It makes sense to me and terrifies me at the same time to earmark  the new year  to start doing instead of planning and thinking. What it is that I do isn't as important to me as the dialing down the mental aspect and moving on a more instinctive level.

In that vein, please join me back here this Saturday, January 5 when I launch a new weekly collaborative effort.

Whatever you find yourself doing tonight to ring in the new year, I hope your hearts are full of hope for what the next cycle will bring to your lives.

Culture Shock 2007 Report: Films

This time of year brings out my list making streak in meteoric proportions. I enjoy quantifying what I've done for the year. At the beginning of the year, I began making posts titled Culture Shock to keep track of all the music, films, tv, books, magazines etc I'd been taking in. Planning and preparing our very DIY wedding didn't leave as much time for the media or the list making this year. With the help of our Netfix account and the memory of Sweets, I've been able to put together a list of the films I had the chance to see this year. I'm sure I've forgotten a few here or there but it's a pretty complete list. There are links to Netflix for all them so you can pop any of them into your queues as easy as can be if something catches your eye.

Past years' lists are available in the archives for 2004, 2005 and 2006.

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu  +
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
Blood Diamond *
Pan's Labyrinth  *  +
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Notes on a Scandal * +
Seven Up / 7 Plus Seven  +
The Last King of Scotland +
The Last Kiss
21 Up  +
This Film Is Not Yet Rated 
The Lives of Others * +
Down to the Bone
Sherrybaby
Half Nelson +
Zodiac * +
Babel
Running Scared
28 Up  +
Fast Food Nation
Shortbus
The Prestige +
The Lookout *
Grindhouse (Theatrical Version) Planet Terror and Deathproof * +
Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny
Year of the Dog *
Music and Lyrics  +
Waitress * +
Knocked Up * +
La Vie en Rose * +
Little Children +
35 Up +
A Mighty Heart * +
Ocean's Thirteen *
Black Snake Moan +
The Gene Krupa Story
Ratatouille * +
The Simpsons Movie * +
Foxfire
Hairspray *
Ball of Fire +
Sicko * +
Superbad * +
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer +
300
Hair +
Eastern Promises * +
The Baxter
Into the Wild *
Grace Is Gone  (Woodstock Film Festival) * +
The Cake Eaters  (Woodstock Film Festival) *
Vincent & Theo
Dracula
Frankenstein +
Bride of Frankenstein
The Wolfman
The Darjeeling Limited *
American Gangster *
Man Push Cart
1408: Theatrical Version
Nobody's Fool +
I'm Not There *
No Country for Old Men * +
Margot at the Wedding *
A Night at the Opera +
The Namesake
True Lies
Charlie Wilson's War *
Juno * +
3 Women

Astericks note films seen in the theater

Plus sign indicates films I highly recommend

I used to think I was obsessed with movies until I met Sweets. My little list looks rather paltry in comparision to the 300 films he took in this year.  The difference in our work schedules gives him the ability to watch a movie a day if he wants before I even get home from work.

Sweets publishes a film related newspaper page each week. You can read along whether you are local or not at his portfolio site. Just click on the images there for a larger copy to peruse. He also blogs almost daily about movie news here.

Silent Month: What its meant to me

What a interesting journey this silent month has been. At the beginning, I was open to surprises and energized to blog after feeling lost and voiceless in the months before. Surprises did come. I was most pleasantly surprised by all the wonderful and supportive visitors here this month. I value all of your kind words. Visiting your sites, many of them new to me was a terrific peek into your lives whether you happen to be the next state, the country bordering mine, romantic places, magical places or exotic places.

I hope we all can continue to connect as we start to use our voices again in the new year. Many thanks should go to Daisies for planting the seed for this project and her continued efforts to stop by our blogs feeding them with her joyous spirit.

Other surprises that came to me this month came from within. By turning off my voice, my mind went on to deeper areas of contemplation. I did not realize how depleted my spirit had become this year. Or how many feelings I had been surpressing. Instead of being all sparkly and festive this month, I spent time stewing in resentment and anger  and I must admit fear over one major aspect of my life. I've felt torn between choosing two new paths for my life. The month started out sulking and repressing my feelings. It became inevitable to face all of those junky feelings and work them out by talking to people I hold dear. Now I am feeling open and hopeful that I can take on both of these endeavors that are important to me if I am willing to adjust the time frame to be more reasonable. I'll be able to share more about these new endeavors later on as I am ready to begin them.

One thing I can share is a new idea for a series here on The Metaphorical Magpie.  In January, I'll be launching a weekly feature  offering tips on making our lives a little nicer as we try to be a little nicer to our loved ones, our homes, our communities and our planet at the same time. I'm still pondering how it will all work. My hope is  for it to become  a collaborative effort that will be a way for all of us to continue to connect and grow together. 

Now, I'm off to work where I've spent every day this week including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  It's been a stressful week there. Tomorrow we're hosting my family for a Christmas meal and gift exchange. Lots of work and fun ahead.

Have a great weekend, friends.

    

Silent Month: Welcome to our candy factory

Many of the December Views gang seem to be having a hard time feeling festive this holiday season(myself included). So I decided to send y'all some sweetness from our kitchen. I started making peppermint bark about ten years ago. By now, it's become a requested goodie. I continue to tweak the recipe yearly. This batch mixes three varieties peppermint and spearmint candies nestled into a layer of mint infused white chocolate which rests on a base of dark chocolate.  Sweets likes to help me in the kitchen, so he's pictured here as we make the goodies together.

We went on a road trip through the South last month. Which was an excellent opportunity to stop at a local peanut company in Virginia. A big bag of raw peanuts came home with us waiting to turn into brittle. I toast them in small batches. Next they are generously salted with sea salt. I've been playing with two different recipes for peanut brittle which are both delicious. One is super peanutty flavored and a snap to make. The other is more labor intensive. It requires pulling the hot sugar mixture which leaves my fingertips  tender until the next day.  The result is a marvelous rich buttery delight that makes the sore fingers worth it.

Wishing you all have a sweet holiday, my friends.

XoXo and HoHoHo,
Rachel

Silent Month: My attempt to wipe out the blues

Complete list of bloggers participating in the silent blogging December Views here at Pluck the Petal

Silent Month: New Do-ings

Complete list of bloggers participating in the silent blogging December Views here at Pluck the Petal

Silent Month: There will be a time you come to a stone wall. Tall and unyielding, it will stop you in your tracks. Rest awhile. And think of a way to defeat that wall- up, around, under. It is possible.

Complete list of bloggers participating in the silent blogging December Views here at Pluck the Petal

Silent Month: Changing my outlook bit by bit

<a href=”http://pluckthepetal.com/blackdaisies/2007/12/december-views-the-explanation/ “><img src=”http://pluckthepetal.com/blackdaisies/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/december-views-badge.jpg ” alt=’December Views’ /></a>

Silent Month: Getting my zest back

<a href=”http://pluckthepetal.com/blackdaisies/2007/12/december-views-the-explanation/ “><img src=”http://pluckthepetal.com/blackdaisies/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/december-views-badge.jpg ” alt=’December Views’ /></a>

 

Silent Month: I've lost track of whether I'm coming or going on this journey; yet I press on

Silent Month: Dear Thailand, be good to my dear friend while you have her

Silent month: Do you hear what I hear?

Silent Month: Quiet morning

Silent Month: singalong

"Truth Doesn't Make A Noise"- The White Stripes

My baby's got a heart of stone
can't you people just leave her alone
she never did nothing to hurt you
so just leave her alone

The motion of her tiny hands
and the quiver of her bones below
are the signs of a girl alone
and tell you everything
you need to know

I can't explain it
I feel it often
everytime I see her face
but the way you treat her
fills me with rage and I
want to tear apart the place

You try to tell her what to do
and all she does is stare at you
her stare is louder than your voice
because truth doesn't make a noise

- Jack White

Silent Month: I love my neighbors

Silent month: Find the light

Silent month: Listen to your heart

December is different

I've found myself fallen silent here in the last few weeks. Many thoughts concerning my future, my family, my intentions, my intensity, my desires and my obligations are all trying to get my attention at once. The talkative magpie began to shut down.

Last week, JPo and I were driving home from seeing Sondre Lerche in concert. We talked about how I've been feeling lately. She asked me what kind of experience I'd like right now. Instead of choosing a fabulous trip, beauty treatment or something decadent; I opted for a period of peace and quiet to settle my thoughts. Later our conversation meandered to two friends who have gone on silent retreats. I wondered what that would be like.

Earlier same day, I read a post by Daisies at Pluck the Petal  in which she considered making December a wordless month on her blog. The more I thought about her proposal, the more I felt reinvigorated to blog again. I've decided to join her and the growing list of other bloggers that are going to blog quietly this month.  See the list of participants at Pluck the Petal.

Part of my desire for silence is the pressure I always seem to self impose. Fun activities lose their zing when they become yet another thing to do on my ever growing to do list. I'd like to post at least one image a day but I'm not going to hold myself to it. I'm not going to require myself to take the photos on the day they are posted. I've got at least three months of backlog here, so I may share some of those images. I'd also like to incorporate some posts that are quotations to focus on while I enjoy my silence.

I'm giving myself permission to be quiet. To listen. To learn. To take it all. To think. To really live.

Requiring myself to be silent will probably make me want to gush like a mint chewels after a few weeks of this. If I feel the need to use my voice this month  I will. I'll be available by email and will respond to any comments that would benefit from a reply.

A few weeks ago,I saw the movie, Dan in Real Life. It was a great little movie that I fear will be overlooked.  Go see it!  You won't be disappointed.

I keep thinking about at  line toward the end  of the movie that is echoed in one of Sondre Lerche's songs on the soundtrack.

"... be prepared to be surprised."

Oh, December, what surprises do you hold in store for me?