The Metaphorical Magpie

Five Questions

Kristen offered to interview bloggers with five questions of her choice a few weeks ago in a post where she answered questions provided by another blogger. I volunteered and her questions for me arrived. After much mulling, here are my answers.

If you'd like me to interview you with five questions of my choosing, please leave me a comment or send me an email.

1. You've just won Top Chef! You now have the money and the means to start your own restaurant. What is the theme and cuisine?
I've given this question so much thought. Honestly, I don't know if I'd ever want to own a restaurant. I think my temperment is more suited to catering. But... if I ever decide to cook in a space of my own, I want it to be an intimate space. Guests will be invited to come in and sit at communal tables. The menu will be set by me and the food will be served family style. I prefer to cook hearty rustic food.  Ethnic food excites me most but I pride myself on picking up classic French techniques along the way. The food will be locally and ethically raised wherever possible. The diners will have the opportunity to know where their meal came from as well as how it was prepared. I'll try to come out each night to say hello and talk about the food. I hope my enthusiasm for the ingredients will be shared when my guests sample the finished dishes. Making good food accessible to everyone is important to me. There won't be reservations and the tab won't be over priced.

 

2. You and Sweets have just been given one-way tickets around the world. You can go all around, but you can't back-track. Where do you go and what do you see?
I've pulled out my trusty atlas and devised a very zig-zag-gy course around the globe.
Greenland- Penguins!

 Iceland - I hear it looks like the moon.
Scotland- miles of green. sheep and men with that awesome accent and Charles Rennie Macintosh design.
United Kingdom- I want to  get muddy at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, see the moors Emily Bronte loved and the white cliffs of Dover. Of course, stopping in London for museums and eating with Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson. Plus a visit with Leonie.
Next South to Spain for tapas and some Gaudi viewing in Barcelona.
Then a jog north east on to Provence and Paris. Baguettes, lavender, macarons and catacombs.
A quick stop in Bruges, Belgium to see all the fairytale stuff much talked about in the film, In Bruges. A quick snack of fritjes will hit the spot.
Next up to Scandanavia for cool design, long summer days and fjords.
Then down a bit to Germany where Sweets can practice his German. Downer, I know, but I'd like to visit Auschwitz to experience it for myself beyond what we see in the movies.
Rome to learn how to make gelato and throw coins in a fountain. Venice for a forgotten weekend.
Vienna for viewing of Gustav Klimt's work along with other art nouveau greatness.
Then on to Prague, the city, I once vowed to move to and start again.
Down to Greece to hunt for blue seas, grilled sardines, feta and antiquities. Maybe T-La's family will let us stay with them.
Then up to Russia to look for Dostoyevsky and Gogol.
India for yoga, cooking lessons, sari and jewel shopping and visiting with my friend, Dipti's family.
Then on to China, the country that captured my imagination as a child. I want to look for the idea of China that I still have. I hope it still exists.
Thailand to visit with my friends, Benjamin and Linda.
South Korea to see my friend, Mia's homeland and feast on their fine cuisine.
Japan for haiku writing next to koi filled ponds, electronic gadgets to bring home, sushi and cherry blossom festivals. Oh and those monkeys that hang out in hot springs.
 New Zealand- We wanted to go for our honeymoon but were so busy planning the wedding, we couldn't take on one more big research extravaganza so the trip got ditched and we holed up in Philadelphia for a mini honeymoon instead. Both islands are full of amazing nature to explore.
On to Oz, or Australia for knocking about with Craftapalooza, The Shopping Sherpa and Muppinstuff, all of whom I would love to meet up with someday.
Then we'll head to the continent of Africa. I'd like to sleep under the stars on safari, see the pyramids along the Nile..., shop in a souk in Marakesh, learn some zulu dances, hear some amazing live music by groups like Femi Kuti, Orchestra Baobab and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
In the home stretch, stops in South America for birdwatching in Costa Rica, tango lessons and steaks in Buenos Aires, tour of fair trade coffee plantations in Columbia, the secrets of mole and how to make tortillas in Mexico and then back to the U.S. for a stop at the Grand Canyon before bringing our very tired, rag tag butts back home to N.J.

3. What flower are you?
Really tough question. Let's start with being a perennial because I may die back or go into dormant periods but I always return with a flush of new ideas and growth. If you ask me this question tomorrow, my answer may be different but today, I'll say a groundcover rose. We have some in our front garden and they are just the most boisterous, tenacious little buggers. Actually, they aren't little. They can make a total mess, sprawling out, throwning canes of cascading blooms into their neighbors faces. But they mean well. And they smell nice. They also provide food and shelter for little birds in the winter.

 

4. What five things would you buy right now, if money were no object?
I'm not much of a shopper, or one that lusts over material objects. The first thing that sprang to mind was to buy out the balance on the mortgages for our home, and those of my parents, Sweets parents and my sister. Being able to say the house is paid off would be a big load off- especially for my sister trying to raise four boys on her own and our parents who are cruising toward retirement.
Beyond that, I think I would be happy to acquire:
a cozy, tufted sofa with dog proof upholstery
a new big fridge with an ice machine
a queen sized bed and an assortment of new linens
an oven outdoors like Jamie Oliver uses on his show, Jamie at Home

 

5. You have the opportunity to learn something new. What do you study and why?
I'm pretty dairy obsessed so I'd like to learn how to make cheeses, ice creams and gelatos from some top notch pros. I really find it fascinating you can take a liquid (milk) and turn it into all of these products with different textures, tastes and smells. Milk is the total super food.

 

Five Senses Friday

See:
True Blood season 2 begins

pink roses against green clapboard

tomato flowers

the crazy array of stains on my chef's coats - green, red, orange, brown, black

my sister surprised/impressed with her relaxed and happy kids after I had them for the afternoon

a glorious, glittery, paint spattered mess

bruise on my foot

birds munching on mulberries in the back yard

Hear:
grackles tussling at the bird feeder

"this is the best day ever" while watching my nephews

my new bicycle wheels

more rain

a distraught friend on the phone

Melody Gardot, Phoenix, Ladyhawke and Ben Kweller's new records

Taste:
birthday ice cream from The Bent Spoon in Princeton: fresh NJ ricotta, dark chocolate earl grey, cardamon and ginger

lobster enchiladas at Langosta Lounge in Asbury Park

Vosges Mo's bacon chocolate bar

moussaka - my last frozen casserole made from last summer's eggplant harvest

Feel:
the walk in door slamming on my foot

sheet pan burning the side of my hand

hot water splashing my neck when someone dropped lobsters into a pot behind me and didn't warn me

screaming tendon in my left leg

pulling my shoulder while falling down the stairs -again - i am such a spaz

strapping on my bicycle helmet for the first time

pulling yellow rain boots over my favorite jeans

getting teary while reading my birthday card from Sweets

Smell:
sizzling bacon

tomato plants

cigarette yuck when my mom got in my car

grilling corn

minty analgesic balm rubbed into my aching hands

Wreck This Journal: Week Two

This week I tried to spend some quality time with my journal. I added page numbers. That actually surprised me. If you would have asked me to guess, I would have thought the book was much thinner. As soon as I has a page count (183), my mind began whirring, doing the math to see how many pages  I would have to do a week to complete the book by the end of this book group. The number I came up with is 22.875. Which is so not going to happen. The fun of working on the journal will continue for me well after the group moves on to it's next book.

I'm enjoying the process and not worrying about how many pages I have to show a week. That is very unlike me. I'm a very results oriented person.

Several pages were started this week but not a lot was accomplished. That's okay. Right now, I'm setting aside materials for my page of circles, office materials page, and fruit stickers page.

 Last night, I was in the kitchen going through the paper recycling basket for possible office material options. I had just finished making a pile of goodies, when Sweets came in from work, picked up this pile that looked like, uh, trash, and threw it right back in the recycling. So this book has turned me into a garbage pail rummager already.

I came across a good place to find fruit stickers but had no where to put them. Opening up my cell phone, I stuck them on the little plastic piece that covers the screen. Sweets always makes fun of me for keeping it on the phone. Ha! Now I've discovered a very important use for it -fruit sticker transporter. I'm going to be all bad ass and include vegetable stickers, too. It was also all so very clandestine and subversive the way I nicked the stickers. I felt very naughty and exhilerated at once. See what a rule breaker I am becoming already!

The page for crumpling was crumpled. I dropped it to the floor and it bounced a little. The paper airplane page took a very short, sad little flight, I think it was too heavy in the front. Sweets thought the paper was a bad weight for plane flying.

The page I've worked on most is the write the same word over and over page. It's coming along nicely. I convinced one of our vintage typewriters to faintly type the word. After beginning to feel an exasperated "what next?"  as the page still looked too white, I looked up morse code and braille for my word choice. I considered using it in other languages but I think I prefer the challenge of using all the same letters. The dots and dashes of the  morse code and braille aren't a distraction because they aren't letters. I did use the tip of a ball point pen to push the braille letters up from the back. I like the way they feel under my finger. One surprising thing about that. I am a lefty but used my right had to "read" the braille. I wonder if tapping in to different sensory experiences reroutes some of your physical patterns. My friend, Anne Marie, is visually impaired, I will ask her about is when I see her next. I'd also like to give her the book to find out if my braille letters are legible to her. I don't feel like the page is done, so I'm not going to show it this week. I think it needs color. I think I need to make a bit of a mess.

Perhaps the biggest news this week is... wait for it ... I broke the spine. Carrying it in my bag now, I found the urge to grab it while I was at the gas station. To me, the gas station is a nasty place. I hate the way it smells. It drives me crazy that we are reliant on it. So in a place that makes me feel yucky already, I did a yucky thing. I took the book out, opened it toward the center and just folded it back and around. For a few moments, I pressed it to my chest, partially to encourage the spine to break and partially to console the book over the shock." I thought we were friends," I imagine it looking up at me with wide, wet eyes. But really, I think I was the one who needed the consolation.

The crack isn't really visible but when I run my finger along the spine, I can feel it. It's a scar that won't ever go away like the one on my knee after falling off my grandparent's shed steps. It will always be there to remind me of the past when I absentmindedly run my fingers over it.

For more shocking wreckage and inappropriate use of fruit stickers, check in with the rest of theWreck This Journal group's week two progress.

Five Senses Friday

See:
copper colored beetles I unearthed in the garden

three men in a row wearing funky  checked shirts

blue jay taking a big drink from the bird bath

my nephews working together to make cookies

a room full of quilts

Hear:
birds singing well before the sun is up

incredibly loud late night thunderstorm

stories about coming out

feliz compleanos

clogged dishwasher

The Marx Brothers

Taste:
banana cream tart

mashed potatoes with big porky bacon chunks and mellow onions

filet mignon tacos

strawberries fresh from the garden

braised oxtail with polenta square, shallot jam, parsley emulsion

Ben & Jerry's Mission to Marzipan

Smell:
a honeysuckle fog settling over the neighborhood

white roses

simmering honey

Feel:
weeds pulling up easily after a rainfall

seeds of tuscan kale, rainbow swiss chard, love-lies bleeding, cockscomb and nasturtium

cuddly nephews

The simple things

M. Heart at Secret Notebooks  Wild Pages posted a list of simple things she enjoys as answer to a query by Christina of Soul Aperture. Christina suggested bloggers take time today, June 10, to make up their own list.

For me, the list includes:

Free time to stand at the window with my binoculars watching the birds when it is cold outside or in warm weather sitting out on the front porch or beneath the mulberry tree out back watching them flit and dive going about their birdy business

sharing a plate of cheese and fruit

using the slotted metal spoon I unearthed while digging under my mother's dogwood when I was a child

a seriously hot shower

My dog, Quentin, perfectly curled up against my tummy

gin and tonic with extra lime

rescuing old books

the heavy scent of lilacs or honeysuckle perfuming the night air

watching our garden grow

eating an avocado topped with crunchy salt and pepper right out of it's skin with a spoon

getting hugs from my nephews

opening up the sunroof and singing really loud

dancing

opening the mailbox to discover a letter

a freshly made bed

quiet time to read and write

farm stands

handmade soap

lingering in the library

being unexpectedly moved by a photograph, a painting, music or film

Wreck This Journal: Week One

(Psst- click image for larger view if you like.)

It took me a few tries to get my hands on a copy of Wreck This Journal. First I tried my local Borders store. I wandered around the store to no avail, tried the computer which told me to look in the children's department, talked to a clerk who also directed me to actvities for children. I couldn't find it but I did walk out with two cookbooks and copy of Gourmet magazine that I couldn't resist. Next stop was Barnes and Noble where, again, I needed a clerk to help me but she was very nice and actually went out into the store to locate it for me. She pulled it from the shelf, put it in my hands and walked away.

The first thing I noticed were some fingerprints around the spine. I wondered if that was part of the design and absentmindedly rubbed them off. It immediately struck me as ironic that I was purchasing a book that is meant to go through all manner of abuse and the first thing I do is rub off a few teeny grasy fingerprints.

This project may be harder for me than I thought.

Last night, I thumbed through the book and began to feel the alarm bells go off.

TAKE IT IN THE SHOWER?!!!

LET A FRIEND DEFACE IT?!!!

When I read "crack the spine," I actually shrieked out loud, CRACK THE SPINE?" plaintively.

I grew up in a house where books were considered your friends. Copies of books from my childhood are in the pristine condition I received them in. I did not tear. I did not scribble. Hell, in college, I didn't even use a high lighter in my text books.  To spare them that indignity I took a lot of notes by hand. I wouldn't even buy used books if they were all marked up. I just thought it was so rude and the things people underlined weren't always what I thought has vital anyway.

So now, I am confronted with this little unassuming book that is asking me to do all sorts of things that break my rules- bending down pages, cutting, tearing, putting in sticky substances, spilling and heaven help me- tongue painting.

Whew.

Faced with a free rainy afternoon today, I found a page I felt comfortable beginning with. I rummaged through my very neglected craft cabinet and found some watercolor colored pencils. I traced the blue hand first and then wondered what it would look like with my hand balled up, so I pulled out the orange pencil to find out. Pleased with the results, I moved into an "OK" hand position with purple. Suddenly I felt the urge for quotations and spent some time happily flipping through my Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Which then somehow led me to reading poems by Rumi, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and Dorothy Parker.

Then I was inspired to add phrases containing the word hand or hands, the parts of the hand, things you can do with the hand.

Basically, this one page unlocked my creative pathways in several directions.

I'm not sure where the book will take me next week but I'm curious to find out.

To see what other book bloggers are doing this week with the book, visit The Next Chapter: Wreck This Journal- Week 1.

Getting out the ol' wrecking ball

I've signed up for The Next Chapter book blogging group run by Jamie Ridler, certified professional co-active coach and blogger at  Starshyne Productions. Starting on Friday June 5, we'll be delving into Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith.

The Shopping Sherpa has been playing with the book over the last few months. It looked like she's had fun so I decided to give it a shot.

You still have time to join, too. Basically you buy the book and post about your progress on your blog every Friday. Visit The Next Chapter:Wreck This Journal for the sign up sheet and the answers to all your questions about the group.

Five Senses Friday

See:
A river otter dreaming in its nest. It's paws were twitching so sweetly.
A gorgeous room with a red coverlet
panoramic city view from the top of Mont Royal
Star Trek in IMAX
a dog that waded into a pond and caught rocks tossed to it by its owner and then spit them out

Smell:
freshly baked bagels
fromage
smoked meat
mulch
bread factory

Hear:
French guitar music
A man saying -ooh la la
water fountain

Taste:
Canard a la orange pate
Quebec raw milk cheeses
roasted quail on a bed of macaroni, serrano ham and pine nuts
black cherry soda
peach maple syrup jam
palmier
smoked salmon pizza

Feel:
tired feet
jacuzzi jets
sleeping with the window open for a gorgous breeze
wide plack mahogany floors underfoot
cobblestones
strange coins

101 Things in 1001 Days Update

I thought I had only one new thing to cross off my 101 Things in 1001 Days list but there are a few more that have garnered check marks. I am a busy girl.

100. Have house painted. Completed. We had the house power washed and touched up where needed. All the trim painted was painted a nice sage green color.

82. Fix living room ceiling. Completed. The same nice painting contractor that painted the house fixed our raggedy ceiling and did a fabulous job. This inspired us to paint the room ourselves.

70. Repaint existing bedroom furniture or replace with new thrifted set. Completed!!! It only took a year, but yes, this laborious project is finito. Mostly to Sweets' credit.

65. Have a picnic in a grove of blossoming cherry trees. Completed. Such a very nice way to spend an afternoon.

52. Acquire a new copy of our marriage license. Completed. I actually did not throw it out. It resurfaced. Shortly after I lost my car's registration. I don't know why I'm a spaz with important papers.

36. Go out onto the ocean in a boat. In progress. I made two connections lately that may be able to get me on a boat to fish. Cool!

21.Conduct a major closet clear out. In progress. I'm beginning to pull out things to donate.

17. Make my own chicken stock. Completed. I made 6 quarts in the middle of April.

6. Volunteer at my local food bank. Completed. I helped serve lunch to a crowd of 90-160 people at a soup kitchen on four different days.

5. Have living room floor refinished. In progress. Two estimates are in so far.

3. Make proper French macaroons at home.  Wild card. Dang that "at home" bit. I did learn how to make them recently but I wasn't at home. Guess I'll have to make a batch up in the hizzy to make the 101 list legit.

New tally:
Completed: 23 items
In progress: 10
Incomplete: 2
Wild card: 1

Start Date: Friday 2/29/08 - End Date: Friday 11/26/2010

Five Senses Friday

See:
Rain droplets on the windows

Our neighbor's new catahula leopard dog 

cherry blossoms bobbing over head

all of our herbs returned in the garden

Hear:

Sad news. My favorite neighborhood stray cat, El Gato, passed away.

Animal Collective

Smell:

Lilacs every time I open the back door

bad chicken. ugh.

lots of fresh laundry

Fig Leaf by Demeter

Taste:

chocolate flourless cake with creme anglaise and chocolate fudge sauce

chicken with roasted red pepper sauce,saffron risotto and broccoli almondine

Banana cream pie blizzard

granola hot out of the oven

Touch:
Two little splinters in my right index finger

Tulip blossoms

vintage wool sweaters at a rummage sale

sun on me while driving the convertible

Five Senses Friday

See:
A bright blue tin ceiling

Silverware rolled in a napkin and secured with simple twine

Changeling

Our living room cleared of everything except the couch and two pieces of furniture

Teensy deep purple muscari blooms in our garden

Hear:

Birds chirping outside the car window while stopped at a light

The house so quiet I could hear cars driving by a few blocks away

A sincere apology (which I sincerely accepted)

Plans for the future

My nephews giggling

Taste:
ham with apple butter glaze

mussamam curry

peach cobbler

hazelnut coffee

pasta with oven dried tomatoes from last year's garden, roman beans, parsley and feta

Touch:
My pinky finger being nipped by an aluminum tray

Quentin's soft, cool fur on the soles of my hot, tired feet

Moss underfoot

Stainless steel tabletops

A fine breeze

Smell:
sour milk

freshly painted living room ceiling

bread pudding baking

a cloud of cinnamon

the damp earthiness of a leaf pile

Standing in the Possibility

Recently, I had a conversation with my friend Anne Marie about the concept of "standing in the possibility" of something coming into your life. She picked this up while attending a Landmark Education seminar. Now, I usually chafe at any touchy feely, New Agey, lets all hold hands and sing Kum Ba Ya, type of stuff; but that phrase keeps popping into my head since we had that chat. A list of things I'd like to see as distinct possibilities also keeps stubbornly asserting itself on my psyche . I don't like touchy feely but I love lists, so I can't resist giving in to the urge to write this one.

Things I Want to Stand in the Possibility of Ocurring in My Life in the Not so Distant Future:

earning a Culinary Arts certificate

learning to make pizza in a wood fired or coal brick oven

having a mentor take me under her/his wing

developing a small line of food products

launching my new food centric blog

making my own soft cheeses

mastering ice cream

taking the Master Gardener course

continuing my culinary education with professional development courses at CIA, ICE and elsewhere

doing freelance writing and photography

being awarded a summer internship opportunity from the Women Chefs and Restauranteurs organization

getting seriously involved with the farm to table movement- locally and farther afield

bread baking

after graduating from culinary school, finding a balance between working for a terrific chef who is committed to using local, seasonal and organic product in fantastic food and is willing to share their knowledge with me; pursuing freelance media work and  blogging;  and starting my own food biz

gaining a deep knowledge of Indian cuisine

having a baby

What would you like to stand in the possibility of happening in your life? I'd love to see your list.

Five Senses Friday

See:
 Two Indian girls dressed in pink and aqua climbing a tree in their front yard
32 happy lunch guests after serving them a nine course French tasting menu
White Philadelphius (Mock Orange) blossoms
Freshly painted trim on our house
Sauteed leeks varied green hues

Hear:
Applause for a job well done
This American Life
Too many NPR reports on the economy/GM/doom and gloom
French music
Sad news

Taste:
Macarons filled with raspberry buttercream
Huaraches with el pastor, queso and great fresh hot tortilla chips and salsa
Amareno cherry gelato
Grilled sausages
Israeli feta cheese

Touch:
Organic tea towels that were a gift from Susanna
Pastry bag in my hands filled with pink macaron batter
Forsythia branches in my arms after cutting a beautiful bundle
Hot baths in the evening
Hands completely covered in sticky batter

Smell:
Lavender incense
Citrus coriander candle that was also a gift  from Susanna
Vinegar for washing Cyndemouse's windows
Shrimp stock
Madelaines hot out of the oven

101 Things in 1001 Days: The One Year Mark Update

It seems like just a short while since I drafted my 101 Things in 1001 Days list but it's already been one year. Last year, I jumped off on Feb. 29, taking advantage of the extra momentum of a leap year. Over all, I've made a good amount of progress. A few of these items are really hanging over my head, like the refinishing our bedroom furniture progress. It's still not done! But the project has seen some renewed interest lately. One of these days it will all be painted. Hopefully soon.

Let's review the progress, shall we?

Start Date: Friday 2/29/08 - End Date: Friday 11/26/2010

1. Grow plants from seed (completed)  update posted 6/29/08
2. Learn to can/preserve (in progress) I've read up and watched a demo. Now I need to can something.
3. Make proper French macaroons at home
4. Learn  how to use InDesign
5. Have living room floor refinished
6. Volunteer at my local food bank
7. Have a portrait made of myself with my dogs (completed) update posted 6/29/08
8. Go to The Cloisters
9. Studio lighting skills for product and portrait work
10. Have my writing published
11. Have my photography published
12. Open an Etsy boutique
13. Apply for a new passport with my married name
14. Educate myself on personal investment opportunities beyond mutual funds (completed) I learned about ETF funds and bonds but decided to stash some savings in a money market fund for stability.
15. Refinance mortgage if/when rates fall below 1% of our current rate
16. Plant a tree
17. Make my own chicken stock
18. Try my hand at painting again
19. Identify 100 things that make me happy
20. Attend the Toronto Film Festival
21.Conduct a major closet clear out
22. Write a letter to the editor
23. Start a collaborative project with another blogger(s) (in progress) update posted 6/29/08
24. Learn to produce and edit video (completed) update posted 6/29/08
25. Sing with a band
26. Lower my cholesterol (completed)
27. Rent a house in the Catskills for a long weekend with friends
28. Compile my recipes
29. Meet a fellow blogger(s) Completed but hopefully ongoing. Met Kristen and Nicole 3/29/08. update posted 6/29/08  I Also had the pleasure of meeting Bella, Susanna and M. Heart in 2008.
30. Take a recreational culinary class at I.C.E. or other culinary school
31. Make a book of our wedding photos
32. Learn to meditate (completed) Sweets and I took a course on meditation techniques together.
33. Feel confident swimming without adult supervision
34. Join a birdwatchers group
35. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
36. Go out onto the ocean in a boat
37. Go fishing with my Mom
38. Learn to clean/filet a fish (completed) I took a class and can now filet round and flat fish.
39. Rearrange guest room furniture to give myself a sunny window spot for a writing desk with views of the garden and birds
40. Make my own soap
41. Visit the Neue Gallerie (completed) 6/14/08
42. Have a Reiki session in person
43. Organize my studio space
44. Frame the photos we received as wedding gifts and the Van Gogh print I received at Christmas. (in progress) Van Gogh print completed 4/6/08.
45. Participate in the Christmas Bird Count
46. Use fabric given to me by Shannon in a yet to be determined sewing project
47. Sew myself a skirt
48. Make a pair of paints for myself
49. Move my blog back to Blogger
50. Make a liqueur
51. Set up a Bloglines reader with all the sites I regularly read (completed) update posted 6/29/08
52. Acquire a new copy of our marriage license
53. Lose 30 pounds (in progress) update posted 6/29/08. Still a battle. An upward one at the moment.
54. Obtain a wildlife habitat designation
55. Contact my father's birth family
56. Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (incomplete)
57. Mutter Museum in Philadelphia
58. Visit Cape May, NJ
59. Tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house
60. Free cooking class at Williams-Sonoma
61. install a rain barrel in the garden
62. upgrade to a compost tumbler (completed) After trying a homemade tumbler for about a year and half we upgraded and love it,
63. yoga class
64. Buy a pair of cute yet comfortable black shoes
65. Have a picnic in a grove of blossoming cherry trees
66. Compost with worms
67.  Find a hairstylist that gets me (completed) I've been seeing Diana for about a year now. I wasn't sure at first but she really listens to me and does a good job.
68. Eliminate grass in our front yard (completed) update posted 6/29/08
69. Grow vegetables in our garden (completed) update posted 6/29/08
70. Repaint existing bedroom furniture or replace with new thrifted set (in progress)
71. Hang  a work of art over the mantel
72. Create a  photo display wall
73. Resurface the fireplace
74. Rent a private karaoke room with friends
75. Find a local source for at least three food items
76. Back up my photo archive onto discs
77. Polish our copper pots
78. Thrift a mid century couch
79. Create a seasonally inspired music compilation
80. Organize a coat drive for women and children in need
81. Grout tiles in kitchen that have been on the to-do list since 2003
82. Fix living room ceiling
83. Go camping
84. Go canoeing
85. Scotland
86. Make time to really celebrate our first anniversary (completed) update posted 6/29/08
87. Lucy the Elephant in Margate, NJ
88. New Zealand
89. Travel to a state I've never been to before
90. Write a will
91. Cater a party
92. Take the 2008 Self  Challenge (incomplete)
93. Replace the back yard deck with a patio ( in progress) the deck is gone. This summer we'll design a new back yard.
94. Have a dinner party
95. Sauna at home
96. Display my blown glass ball collection
97. Get the CD collection under control. In a cabinet, on a hard drive or it's out of the house.
98. Clear out and rearrange front closet making room for guest coats and easy access to stored items (completed) Sweets built a new shelf. I painted. There is lots of room for board games, shoes, sporting equipment, accessories, coats the bags we carry every day and guest coats.
99. Refinish and hang porch swing
100. Have house painted (in progress) We picked a color and had primer applied in November. Final coat will go on after it warms up outside.
101. Design and print a  birthday book

Completed: 16 items
In progress: 7
Incomplete: 2

Some of these items are so easy. don't know why I haven't knocked them off the list. The kitchen tiles that have languished since 2003. Really? Come on. I need to get that one done. And since I threw out our marriage certificate accidentally, I really should replace it. Maybe in March instead of attempting NaBloPoMo, I'll attempt checking off a few more of these babies.

Spring is just around the corner

This Richard Julian song has been in heavy rotation the last few days. I have to admit, I love that furry little Phil but I'm tired of being cold.

We enjoyed an nice stroll this afternoon down Main Ave in Ocean Grove, stopping to see our favorite cheese lady, Susan, at Cheese on Main. Then we headed up to the boardwalk and walked north through Asbury Park and back. Lots of people were out with too many cute doggies to count. A pair of brown poodles in matching sailor suits were the absolute cutest. Shops and restaurants were open along the Asbury Park boardwalk. We popped in a few, browsing for bicycles, admiring kiln fired pottery, blown glass and modern furniture. There are several restaurants that look perfect to stop in for cocktails and appetizers after an afternoon of browsing. I think a blogger gal outing to see the sights should be planned for spring. Any of you girls interested? You know, spring IS just around the corner.

Searching for the magic blogging hour

So it looks like I went and slipped off the back of the NaBloPo wagon and landed on my rump roast in the slushy street this week. Sometimes, I need a break. Realizing that... and honoring that realization... is something I'm just getting the hang of doing. Feeling happy but beyond busy, I had the choice at the end of my 16 hour days of blogging or spending an hour talking to my Sweets. I chose my man over the blog. Sorry, Friends!

I did not blog about this earlier but Sweets lost his job as a graphic designer and film critic (along with hundreds of other talented newsies here in NJ) in December. We had a pretty intense time there for a while as we were both out of work. Coming within weeks of my leaving a newspaper voluntarily, I began to give myself hell for chosing my dreams over being sensible and secure. With a stroke of excellent luck, Sweets is now again gainfully employed as a designer. Ironically, he finds a new home at the newspaper I left behind. He is working closely with the same crew I worked with and on the same odd, night hours. It feels a bit like Freaky Friday around here. For years, he would work days and be at home in the evenings alone waiting for my return. Now it is I that sits alone in a quiet house in the evening, waiting for his arrival and the news of his day. Because I tend to get up around 6:30 am now and he comes home after 10 pm, our time together is limited during the week.  By the time he gets home, I am very sleepy and anxiously awaiting seeing his cute face, having a snack with him as we catch up, a cuddle and then I am off to bed. Last night, I fell asleep with my head on his lap before 11 pm.

Blogging will have to find a new time slot in my day. That last hour of my day is too precious now to spend it typing. 

So, I missed two days of blogging this week. I'm going to feel okay about my blog output for the month if I can manage at least 28 posts for the month total, not depending on if I post every day.

Out but not down

One of my former video journalist colleagues had the chance to visit Top Chef contestant, Ariane Duarte, at her Montclair restaurant, CulinAriane. Interview with her here.I'd like to get into her restaurant sometime soon to check it out. It sounds like she was inspired from collaborating with the other chef-testants.

Booted reality tv chef back to reality in Montclair

Phil has made his point

Yesterday, my fine furry friend, Phil, out in Putsatawny, Pa. decided we'd have six more weeks of winter. Today we had a nice little dusting of snow. All day, I stole moments to look out the window, watching the barren shrubs puff up as if each branch was holding a marshmallow to roast.

As I was driving a lonely stretch of highway, I thought I'd like to stop the car and just start walking amongst the snow covered trees, deeper and deeper amongst them until I lay down and let the snowflakes fall on my face like little icy kisses from the atmosphere.

But that seemed weird. And inappropriate.

So I just drove home.

For once, I'd like to do something like this - harmless and inappropriate - just to see how it feels.

What if you had to do to today over...and over?

It's Groundhog Day.

I love this movie because it let's someone try something over and over again until he gets it right. How often does one get that luxury?

I also love putting all my hopes for winter ending on the whim of a groundhog. I love you, you big  fat scardycat, Puxsatawney Phil, no matter if you see your shadow or not.

Last January NaBloPoMo post

Whohoo!

I spent the day doing a whole lot of not much today which doesn't occur that often. Slept in, went for a haircut, did research on the web, ate leftovers brought home for class this week, read Bon Appetit, watched Sleepless in Seattle and ran out to the grocery store or some baked goods to snack on while watching a movie later. All the chores can wait til tomorrow. Some Saturdays I just need a total break.

NaBloPoMo is a possibilty for February but I think I'd better sleep on it. No big decisions or actions today!

Pretend poppies

I spend many happy hours browsing through seed and catalogs ooh-ing and aah-ing at all the possibilities that can be planted. The site for the movie Coraline is offering an applet that lets you create your own flower variety. I chose a ruffly poppy with blue seed pearl type accents. I would love to see this baby pop up it's head between the two new white poppies I planted last fall. Shannon and M.Heart have created new flowers, too. Won't you join us in the virtual garden?

25 Things About Me You May or May Not Know... or care to know

This meme has been getting lots of action on Facebook this week and I finally got tagged. So more randomness about me than you'd ever care to imagine I am sure. Consider yourselves here tagged, too. If you're on Facebook, add me to your peeps.

Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you (or I think you'll come up with really entertaining things).


1. My birthday is Flag Day. When I was a kid, I thought people put flags up because of me. Narcissism began early.

2. I am an insomniac. I rarely dream. I miss dreaming. In high school and college they would be so wild I used to write them down as soon as I woke up.

3. I have a magazine fetish.

4. I sometimes get food cravings and can not rest until I eat that food. Heaven help those around me when I'm pregnant if I'm like this normally.

5. I am a super duper good parallel parker.

6. I consider myself an atheist yet Hanuman is my personal go-to deity. I'm a Gemini. Duality is allowed in my world.

7. I'm a control freak. But you knew that about me, didn't you?

8. in the eighth grade I ran for class president and lost.

9. I once made plans to meet a man at the top of the Empire State building. When we met in the hallway on the way up to the observation deck, I knew in that instant it was not meant to be for us.

10. I bruise very easily. I'm usually speckled with them and have no memory of how they may have occurred.

11. I've got a girl crush on the French actress, Isabella Huppert.

12. When I look at myself in the mirror, I evidently make a specific face that my husband teases me about for making.

13. I like the act of making photographs but the editing and processing bores me.

14. When I travel I bring a little stuffed Grover with me for luck. It has a tiny bite mark on the nose where my dog, Quentin, nibbled on it.

15. Someday i would like to learn the art of taxidermy.

16. If I could wear pajamas and an apron every day I would.

17. I refuse to text message.

18. I use the parking brake every time I stop the car.

19. I can eat food that is wicked spicy.

20. I'd like my next car to be a veggie powered ice cream truck.

21. I think long stemmed red roses are the most boring, uninspired flower ever created.

22. I have no problem talking to strangers.

23. I don't want to know how machines like airplanes, automobiles or furnaces work. Thinking it is magic works just fine for me.

24. If I could start over in a new place, I'd choose Portland, OR as my new home.

25. Pruning is one of my favorite relaxation activities.

Connecting contemporary culture with the classics

Lykke Li - Tonight from Lykke Li on Vimeo.

I don't know what inspired this song but whenever I hear it,  I always think of the story of Orpheus venturing to the Underworld to fetch his wife, Eurydice. He is given the chance to lead her back into the living world above but may not turn back to look at her as they make their journey.

Both the story and this song bring into focus how sometimes a loved one is right by your side but you feel that they may be slipping away. It's hard to know what to do at that point. Do you look back like Orpheus and lose everything in the attempt to save it? Or move confidently forward knowing your lover is one step behind you today and that on another day you may be the one bringing up the rear?

If you haven't seen Jean Cocteau's film Orpheus, I suggest you put it in your Netflix queue.

My Top 10 Travel Rules

A while back I read a post Marilyn did about her travel rules which led me to think about my own top ten list. I love to travel but I do tend to get twitchy before I get out the door. Here's some of my pre-planning strategies that help me and possibly you feel more relaxed when you're away from home.

10. Before leaving, take time to research your location. Beyond travel guides, I particularly suggest finding the local newspapers online and briefly finding out what news is going on there. It's always good to have some small talk icebreakers at your disposal with the locals. Also look in the newspaper listings for things to do while in town. I've seen free concerts, known what day to turn up for half price museum admission, what restaurants offer happy hour specials and lots more because of doing this. Also, look up the local chamber of commerce. It's a great way to find out about lodging options or learn about shops you need to visit.

9. Pack yourself an emergency medicine kit. Anything you will need should definitely go in. I always find vacationing is a good time to try to get back on a vitamin taking routine. Always, always pack pain reliever, pepto, decongestants, antihistamines, cold/flu medicine. Yes, you may never need them but I've been a sniveling mess alone in San Francisco haunting delis looking for medicine late at night or in the backwoods of Oregon trying to find a pharmacy. It's not fun being sick on the road. Just rip a few of each medicine off it's pack and stow them in a small ziploc bag in your toiletries. Band-aids, especially the small round ones are a must. Blisters are bound to happen.

8. Adopt a travel mascot. My little wild thing friend was picked up in a thrift shop when Cyndemouse and I visited California. He's ventured on other trips to Washington, Oregon, Vermont, and our NJ to Florida road trip. 

7. Book a hotel with a continental breakfast, pool and hot tub. Just being able to grab a coffee at minimum and get rolling on your day's  adventure will save you time and money in the morning. I also find knowing breakfast cuts off early will get me up, out of bed and out of the hotel earlier than if I'm left to my own devices. When you get back after hours of tramping around a strange city, a hot tub is a mighty nice welcome.

6. Pack a quart size ziploc bag with some nice sachets of tea, cocoa, your favorite sweeteners, some mints, gum etc. Relaxing with a cup of tea before bed is lovely. Hotel tea is usually not nice. 

5. Be prepared to ship your goodies home. Bought too many souveniers? Or in my case, too any cd's and bars of homemade soap? Find your local UPS or post office and ship your box home. You'll have less to lug in the airport and a surprise box to open a few days after you arrive home which prolongs your vacation vibes.

4. Bring a collapsible bag that can be used for an extra carry on bag if you need one. Also bring a reusable tote bag or two to use while shopping around. 

3. Try to explore your destination on foot as much as you can. You will meet interesting people, wander into cool places and generally have a more agreeable location with your feet on terra firma than if you roll by in a rental. Many cities have such excellent mass transit you really won't need a car.

2. Have an itinerary but don't be too rigid. Be prepared. And then be prepared to through your plan to the winds. One trip Cyndemouse and I drove around the Olympic Penninsula stopping for the night wherever we landed along the way. Wouldn't you know, the day we booked a room for two nights we met the nicest (and cutest) young man and his father at Ruby Beach. They invited us to camp out with them Alas, all our stuff was an hour away in a hotel. Sometimes the weather or something else dictates a change and you just have to change course. Just go with it. When Sweets and I flew into San Franciso last year, we anticipated a sunny road trip before going to a friend's wedding. We arrived in a monsoon, quickly fell upon a hotel in San Jose I've stayed in the past and found the best burrito ever a few blocks away for supper. 

1. Bring an emergency spoon because you never know when an excellent eating opportunity will present itself. This I learned from Cyndemouse many spoons ago.

What can't you leave home without? Tips for travellers? We could all use some more.

First things first

A meme by me. About me. Consider yourself tagged and play along.

First name: Rachel

First concert: Duran Duran and Erasure at Madison Square Garden. Notorious tour 1987. With my two friends, Chris and Frank, we took the train into the city all by ourselves and went to the show.

First job: Counter girl at Freedman's Bakery in Bradley Beach, NJ. I started on my 13th birthday.

First car: 1984 Subaru GL Wagon. Burgundy.

First kiss: A juvenile delinquent type named Brett. I was in the 7th grade. He had brown hair, freckles across his nose, a denim jacket and tasted of cigarette. My very first bad boy. I remember I was wearing white Capezios.

First car accident: I backed into a car in the parking lot of the Windmill in Long Branch, NJ. I don't know why I was there, I don't even like their food.

First pet: I had a mixed breed dog named Casey that I would dress in my t-shirts. We would box and wrestle in the snow. She also ate all furniture and cabinets in sight so her days were numbered in our house.

First apartment: 141 Webb Ave, Ocean Grove. $550 per month.

First alcohol induced sickness incident: Immediately following my bachelorette party

First job I wanted to do: librarian at the New York Public Library

First favorite color: purple

First solo vacation: California

First favorite mythical creature: unicorn

First experience with death: my neighbor, Bobby, who was like a big brother to me was murdered when I was in the third grade

First school attended: Woodrow Wilson School, Neptune City

First celebrity crush: Shaun Cassidy

First solo vacation: California

First business trip: Milwaukee, WI. Kalish Picture Editing Workshop

First major furniture purchase: Red damask wing back chair with ball and claw feet. I gave it to my friend, Tiffany, and I've regretted it ever since.

Considering change

The NaBloPoMo topic this month is change and I haven't tackled it much yet so I thought I'd give it a whack tonight like a big fat pinata. Change can be a big beast, can't it? Poke that sucker with a stick and you don't know what is going to come falling out of it - or when.

On the family front, I've been trying to work on better relationships with my mother and sister. My mom and I have been doing more together and talking more regularly just to check in. My sister is going through a huge transition right now. I feel like I am being supportive but today when I poked the pinata a storm of bees unexpectedly came crashing out stinging me just for asking an innocent question. It reminds me that as changes happen in one person's life, the effects can spill on to people around them.

Financially, her royal cheapness over here has tightened the screws even further because of our current situation. I would really love to replace the laptop I had when I was working at the newspaper. But we won't be doing that. It's not that we don't have the cash to do it. It is that we don't need it. Lately I've been around people who need so much, I know I can go without something as lavish as a laptop. We're working out sharing the Mac we have already. It may not be portable but it is practical.

I have a few major fears in life. Fire and water are big ones. As a teen, I never smoked because I was too scared of lighting a match or lighter. On the occasions I did puff on something, someone always had to light it for me. Candles, grills, anything involving flame was a no go for me. When I bought this house with a fireplace, I got better about my relationship with fire when I began to understand how to control it. I've gotten pretty good at outdoor bonfires, too. But fire in the kitchen? That freaks me out still. So imagine my disconcern when I am faced with a massive stove with visible pilot lights always burning and flames that jump up over the sides of my saute pan. Yikes. Working on the grill last week, flames would lick out from the grates as I turned kebabs. I dealt with it. I will be cautious and careful around the flames but I am not going to allow my fear to change my course. I want to make great food everyday. Therefore, I am going to be working around flames. I'm going to learn how to tame it, not cower from it.

The light is changing lately. Tonight I noticed the sun was still out after it would normally be dark. I love how nature is always subtly changing all around me.

New music infusion

When I buy music, I always say I'm like a snake. I go in buy a huge stack and then it takes a long while before I digest my musical meal before I need a new one. Sweets is always on top of when records and dvds are going to be released so I now use his knowledge for strategic planning. Knowing there were several discs coming out this month, we decided to head out to our favorite place to buy music in NJ, Princeton Record Exchange. We dropped three boxes of discs of items we wanted to trade in at the front desk and started browsing on our own. Sweets heads to new releases. I'm the bargain hunter, so I'm all about the area in the back where used and promotional discs are priced $1.99 - $4.99. Because I shop the cheap racks, I can totally fill up my basket without breaking the bank. As we shop, we'll pull things the other might like. When we regrouped, I was holding a Magnetic Fields disc that I thought he may want. He was holding it, too but it was $12 more because it was new. So we switched his new one for the used. Later he found me a promo Kimya Dawson that saved us another $11 if we would have bought the new one. By the time we felt satisfied, our basket was pretty full. Our trade in balance covered everything we picked out today and we've got some leftover to go towards our next music shopping excursion. I love it when it works out like that!

Some of the new sounds that will be in heavy rotation here for a while.

Two discs by Sondre Lerche, The Duchess and the Duke, Bon Iver, Animal Collective, The Bird and the Bee, The Finn Brothers, Sinead O'Connor, Brian Eno, Ricki Lee Jones, Joy Division, and  The Hard Lessons.

Friday Dance Party Returns

Batting 1,000

I thought it was worth a mention that the comments here at the Metaphorical Magpie have cracked 1,000 this month. Wow.

Thanks so much to all of you who have taken a moment to share your thoughts, opinions and often encouragement with me.

xoxo

Not enough time in the day

It was a super duper long day today. I ache all over. Is it possible to suddenly get arthritis in a knee? Big test tomorrow. Now that my homework is done, I'm off to a hopefully screaming hot bath and a helpful husband quizzing me on my notes. Be back tomorrow. This NaBloPoMo thing is almost over and I'm pleased I stuck it out. Only a few more days to go.