The Metaphorical Magpie

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.

I Want Wednesday: #1

I want to make a difference.

That's pretty simple.

It can be done in a simple or elaborate manner. The choice is mine. (Or yours.)

Today I began tutoring a sweet young girl with a speaking voice a smidge over a whisper, a love of hot sauce and a nice laugh if you take the time to coax it out of her. I tried to make the material we covered relatable and fun, passing on memorization techniques and study tips.

We worked together for an hour and will do so for the next week in preparation for a big test. I want her to do well on that test. I want her to know she can do it. Now and again and again. All she has to do is want something and try hard. That too is pretty simple.

There are more things I am beginning to imagine myself doing to make a difference for those in the world I travel. Just thinking of the ideas makes me happy. The doing will bring even more satisfaction.

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.

Play It Again, Sam

Despite a bit of grumbling and a few days of not feeling like I had much to say and a few more of feeling strapped for time, over all I enjoyed participating in NaBloPoMo. Writing every day is good practice whether it is your grocery list or another page of the great American novel you are working on. So I've decided to try it again for the month of February.

The theme for the month is Want. Writing on theme tends to throw me off my game. Since I am a fan of alliteration, I'll make Wednesdays this month the day I discuss anything I want. I'm not much of a consumer so it will be interesting to see what I come up with in that department.

One thing I do want to get out of this month's NaBloPoMo is a better connection to other participants. I was disappointed last month to not have many new visitors here. I did try to get out and look at other people blogging  in the challenge. I thought this would be more of a festive, supportive group like Self Portrait Challenge (which I miss quite a bit).

Here's to 28 more days of continuous blogging.

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.

The Magnitude of Today

There were many little things that went wrong for me today. My car doors were frozen shut when I arrived at the car already running late and hands full. The gas line must have been frozen, too because the needle said I was on empty but the tank only filled halfway. There was traffic with no visible reason. A little patch of skidding on a side road. The matter of burning my rice in class and having to start again (complete and utter mortification on my part.)

None of that mattered.

Not when something so huge, so important, so utterly life changing and humanity affirming was about to occur. The director of my school allowed those of us who wanted to watch the Inauguration to turn off our pots and head upstairs. Crammed into a small, dark office, we watched the BBC feed of the inauguration ceremony together on one small computer monitor. I'm glad it was dark. I allowed myself to weep. Three big sopping wet tissues worth of tears and nose dabbing.

Somehow seeing this event unfold made me feel like we've just cracked through a hard shell like a coconut's. After years of banging away, finally there is progress, an entrance. We can finally quench our thirst with the sweetness within.

The sweetness IS there. In all of us. Sometimes we neglect it. Forget it. Tell it to take a flying leap. This time we should all take a sip and pass it around.

Did you love Elizabeth Alexander's inaugural poem? I've printed it out and will carry it with me to read again and again as I pause in my day.  I carried this bit around in my head this afternoon.

"What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun."

These ideas of new beginnings, possibility, progress, growth are totally electrifying to me. I've been crying every day for about a week. Snatches of poetry like above, a radio report, a message of love from a friend, looking at our new president, feeling and believing his words. So many things are moving me now. I feel tremendously human and vital.

I am grateful I had the chance to experience this inauguration as a citizen and not a journalist. For once, I did not have to analyze, compare, break down, produce. I just participated in what was happening in that little dark office, the school, the city of New Brunswick, the state of New Jersey , this country that I have just begun to realize is great, the United States of America and the world.

Missing this lady- today and every day

Today would have been my Grams' 88th birthday. I still miss her everyday. I miss her raspy voice and the way her hands bent by arthritis would pat mine gently to comfort me. I miss those twinkling blue eyes and her love of big band music. Her grilled cheese sandwiches and iced tea. She was feisty and sweet and thoughtful and yes, sometimes a big pain in my booty but I loved that lady like no other person ever. There is a hole in my heart where she belongs that has closed over but has not healed.

Whenever she was asked what her birthday was, she'd always answer "January 20th, Inauguration Day." She never worked as long as I knew her except on Election Day when she would work at the polling station. Politics and religion were the two things she said she never talked about. She would tell you though that she had written Jesse Jackson in on her ballot once and she was proud of that. I think seeing Barack Obama become president today would have thrilled her.

What More in the Name of Love

So many moments were moving to me when I watched the Inauguration special last night. U2's performance was a highlight though. Here's a montage of a French  newsreel on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. mixed with Pride by U2.

This morning I went to my sister's house and took care of my nephews while my sister went to work. The boys and I talked about Dr. King and Rosa Parks and how their bravery inspired so many people to change our country. My mother is going to watch them in the afternoon. She's going to have them watch Dr. King's speech.  I'm not sure if they understand how important Dr. King's work was yet or how they will be witnessing history being made tomorrow when Obama is sworn in but we want to expose them and involve them as much as we can now no matter how old they are. It's never too early to learn about the importance of equality.

Experimenting with disengaging

Last weekend, I wrote about meeting a little girl who reminded me children have the power to move on when they are no longer into something. In this past week I challenged myself to let at least one thing go.

My first opportunity came on Thursday. Driving home from school, thinking I had no homework and an open evening for a change I started making plans to fill the time. I was all set to get home, take a few minutes break and then hop back into the car to see The Reader before it left our local multiplex. Then I took a moment to realize how tired I really was. I decided I could wait until the dvd release in March for this movie. By 8:30 pm I was konked out on the coach.

On Friday evening, I had an invitation to go see a sitar concert with friends. Again, I'd have to drive home and then hit the road again immediately. I opted to stay in and went to bed when I felt like I was ready.

Last night we went to an early show of the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. When we came home, I attempted to stay awake for Saturday Night Live. After giving the show a chance and not laughing once during the first few skits I felt completely fine with disengaging and going to bed.

These were all small little victories but telling in that they all revolve around some sort of entertainment. The magpie in me wants to check out every shiny new thing. This week showed me I could let a few things slide by.

What did you walk away from this week?

Buy this coat!

My darling, most dearest, vintage fashionista friend, Cyndemouse,  has an enormous collection of vintage clothing and accessories collected by herself, her sister, mother and aunts over the last 50 years. When I say enormous, I am not exaggerating. The Smithsonian may show up one day with a moving van and acquire the whole lot. I have spent countless happy hours cooing over each and every fabulous item she pulls from the closet.

Lucky for you, she has launched her very own Etsy shop, Re:Finery Designs. The inventory there is growing every day. An absolute show stopper in her collection is this fur trimmed green wool coat with brass buttons. It's absolutely gorgeous in person. Unbelievably it still has the original tags hanging on it. I think it would make an Irish lass' perfect St. Patrick's Day coat. Or any gal giddy  with it's happy hue.

In her coat department, you'll currently find an assortment from the 60's through the 80's. This purple faux fur number has to find a good home with someone with a personality big enough to stand up to the coat's fierceness.

Over in dresses, this 1980's  turquoise sweater dress with white heart pattern would look terrific layered over a tissue tee and leggings with a wide belt and boots.

Most of the things in her collection are small sizes. So skinny girls rejoice and start shopping. There are also plenty of one size fits all accessories like scarves and fedoras. Those boots above, alas are too big for me.

Looking for something specific? Convo her. She just may have it in her stash.

Cyndemouse is another casualty of the collapse of the newspaper industry. Like me, she views her departure from news as a chance to pursue her passions. Opening this shop is a dream long overdue. I hope you stop into her shop and support it and her.

Color Week: Stripes

Photo booth strip in Point Pleasant
Coffee at Citizen Cake in San Francisco
Taxidermy duck at at a BBQ joint  in Irmo, SC
JPo and Pirate

Color Week: Pink. Isn't She Pretty?

 

Bachelorette party in Point Pleasant, NJ
Pretty girly shoe next to my sensible ones
Doorbells in San Francisco

More pink over at Color Week

I knew I liked Obama

While campaigning most politicians stop and grab food on the road often setting up photo ops at the restaurants. Some pols get tripped up when they are pressed to relate to the common people be asking them what the current price of a a gallon of milk is. Obama showed a hint of being a foodie to me when he said “Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?” to a crowd in Iowa in 2007 while stumping. In October an NPR report talked about Obama' favorite Chicago restaurant, Topolobampo owned by Rick Bayless. These kinds of tastes are a far cry from the fast food cravings of President Clinton and comfort food favored by President Bush.

President elect Obama is a certified foodie.

It turns out when Barack Obama was a state senator in Illinois, he took part in a restaurant review television program, Check, Please. A clip of never aired footage of a show recorded in 2001 is now up on You Tube. The entire show will air on Chicago's WTTWon January 16 at 8 pm. Until then, here is a little snippet where Obama plugs the  Peach Cobbler at the Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop in Chicago. The cobbler veers from normal cobbler fare by introducing a woven pastry crust instead of a crumb.

Here is the recipe.

It just so happen I have a stash of organic peaches from Terhune Orchards in my deep freeze. Just yesterday, I asked Sweets if he would be up to baking something with some of them soon. Everytime I open the freezer, they beckon me with their round golden gaze. ""Eat us soon, won't you?" they seem to say "we taste like summer. Remember summer?"

Wouldn't digging into a peach cobbler ala mode be a great way to celebrate Inaguration Day?  I have a feeling Obama would not veto the idea.

Color Week:Yellow in Coney Island

 

More Color Week hosted by Curious Bird

Color Week: Blue Rocks

 

I'm joining Curious Girl as an unofficial ambassador of color in Curious Birds' Color Week:

Monday: blue

Tuesday: purple

Wednesday: yellow

Thursday: pink

Friday: stripes or plaid (any colors)

Culture Shock Report 2009- Issue 01

My cultural consumption since 1/1/09.

Films:
Movies with trailers here were seen in the theater. Of those three, Doubt is the one most worth the ticket price. Wonderful acting all around. Seeing a movie like this, with acting of this caliber, makes me realize how much dreck Hollywood usually sends our way. Plus signs denote ones I like enough to pass on.

The Tale of Despereaux

Affliction +
Junior
Music From Another Room

Doubt +

 

Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven
 Mamma Mia

Frost/Nixon

TV:
Top Chef- I was sad to see Eugene pack up his knives. I didn't think he would win but there was a soft spot in my heart for him. As for Melissa, it's about time. How about the new judge? He's a bag full of barbed bon bons, eh? Quote of the week from Fabio: "This is Top Chef, not Top Scallops." on Jamie doing yet another seared scallop dish.

30 Rock - Liz's attempt to ruffle the hair of a young boy on the street leads to a doomed relationship with Peter Dinklage, who is small, yes, but not a boy. Can anyone source those gold shoes Tracy was wearing for me?

Greys Anatomy- I'm glad they are backing Izzy off the stupid plot line of seeing/sexing up Denny after he's died. The introduction of a new lady doctor means new entaglements for one of the McDoctor's I am sure. What I am not so sure of is if Greys is worth my hour of time anymore.

Golden Globes award ceremony

and enough HGTV and Food Network shows to choke a horse

Did your wish come true?

Last January, I got a crazy idea to invite people to join me in a wish tree project. My call for fellow wishers led to an amazing influx  of emails and envelopes in the mail containing wishes of all types. Small and large.  On January 20th, I hosted a gathering of friends and family here at the house. It was a super cold day but we bundled up to hang our own wishes and then everyone helped tie ribbons to the dogwood tree for all the people who sent their own ribbons. I bought a bunch of happy colored ribbons and we used those for the wishes that came in by email. 

After we hung the ribbons, we all went inside for a feast of cupcakes, cookies, blood orange cosmos, coffee, tea and lots more to choose from.

Here is the post wrapping up the project with lots of photos. Here's a peek at the refreshments. And the Flicker set from the day.

We let the ribbons fly on the tree until it was about to bloom in spring. Some released themselves before we got out there to remove them. One very tenacious ribbon remains. I don't know whose wish that was but it obviously needed a little extra time to work, so we've let it take it's time.

 

My ribbon was the big purple one up there between the green ones. It was really long and I decided to choose a forked branch to tie it around. I wished to find my one true path in life. Imagine my aggravation when every time I checked on it, it had would itself around more than one branch. Finally, I understood. My path is like a branch working from the outside of the tree in. Small branches lead to medium ones that join into a medium branch that leads into a strong trunk. All of my parts combine to make the whole. If a branch is weak, it will fall away but that doesn't make me any less as a whole.

I felt very conflicted at that time about where I was going with my life. Outwardly everything was dandy but I felt unfulfilled. A year later, I've found the courage to break free from one career to follow the call of another. When we hung the ribbons, I also felt very resentful that it seemed I would have to choose between pursuing a new career and having a child. As the year progressed, I realized I can do both if that is what I choose to do in the future. When my ribbon wrapped itself tightly around two branches that seemed to be a sign to me.

However I choose to interpret it, I feel like my wish came true.

My Sweets made his wish for Obama. It seems fitting now that the anniversary of our wish tree is Inauguration Day.

If you participated last January, I'd love to have you share what happened with your wish.