The Little Things Count the Most, Always

The end of another calendar year draws near and it always causes me great nostalgia for just about everything from friends, new and old, family, living and passed on, and places, those I have been to and those I intend to see in the upcoming year. Aside from my birthday New Year’s Eve is my all time favorite holiday and the night is always memorable; the fact that most years I shed a little tear for the passing of the calendar is purely tied to my heavily reminiscent personality.

My mom used to have a big party every New Year’s Eve, the house was filled with her friends and it was the one night we were allowed to stay up late if we could make it; my earliest memories of Saturday Night Live are attached to one of those parties. One year, back in high school, four of us from the gymnastics team decided to get dressed up and go out for Italian food and when I went to shake cheese on my ravioli, the top came off, which prompted all of us to laugh the entire night. Another year, my best friend had some of her college friends come up to party and we all got hammered on champagne right in the middle of the street at the Boston Harbor as we watched the fireworks with about 200,000 other people. As the clock ticked over to the highly hyped Y2K I gained some geographical space in North Carolina with a friend, her husband, sisters and other family and as soon as the lights did not actually go out forever we all passed a joint around.

As I get ready to celebrate moving nine years into the new millennium, things in my life have changed dramatically but one thing remains the same -- I never spend New Year’s Eve with people I do not love. If the year to come is a reflection of the way we rang it in then I certainly want to be with the people I love, doing exactly what I want to be doing at that moment. In recent years, with the exception of a very blurry memory of a visit to my sister’s a couple years ago, Matt and I have generally spent the evening with S & B; we have dinner, chill at their place, pop champagne at midnight, hug all and kiss our respective other half and end up falling asleep at approximately ten after twelve. With them having four month old babies this year, who knows if any of us will even make it to see the clock tick over.

This past year was up and down, back and forth but so many shades of grey in many areas of my life so I have been thinking back to New Year’s Eve last year and trying to remember how I spent the time as we rang in 2008. The four of us toasted to change and growing families as well as friendship and bonds that will never be broken. This got me thinking about new people in my life, how giving and kind they all are and how so many things can change from one year to the next.

Over the past year I have met some amazing people through blogging and even though we are all very different people when it comes to age, gender, rearing, religion or writing style the common thread is that we all enjoy supporting one another’s achievements. I have met two wonderful gals outside of our little virtual world, Trayce and Bridgete, and I suspect that everyone else is just as fantastic as these two gals because, frankly, I do not surround myself with people who suck. (Yes, I stole that line from my sister but it is rare she finds time to read my blog anyway so it is likely she will never know it. And if you do, thanks Wendy.)

One new friend, Rose, was so generous recently and sent me this beautiful Christmas ornament that she hand painted just because, what a thoughtful gift! I do not have a tree so it is dangling from my candle holder instead.

Ginger was kind enough to mail me a box of henna hair color after I mentioned thinking about giving it a try (I am still a chicken right now but someday…).

I do not know what the future holds but I do know that this coming year is sure to be full of great times and adventures, family, best friends, writing, selling, new friends, creativity and exploration but most of all a heaping pile of gratitude for how far I have already come. Ringing in 2009 in two short days I plan to toast to new adventures and amazing success for everyone I know and love. Have a safe and happy New Year everyone.

Reflected Projections

I sit here at my desk and begin to wonder when I let go of myself. When was it that I allowed myself to focus solely on what another person wanted me to fit into? What kind of life would I have led if I could determine the turning point, the moment in time where I let it all go, and go back to make the opposite choice? Would I be married, own a house, have a car, be in love? Would I be alone, party like a rock star, feel trapped inside freedom? I have no knowledge of what would have happened because life is not a Choose Your Own Adventure where I make a selection and move forward with the story, but just in case I get to peek at the other pages to see if it would have turned out any better, or even just different.

The thing about those books was that the ending, the actual ending of the story, pretty much always turned out exactly the same no matter what path we all chose in the middle. Kind of like life I guess. We are born and we die and everything in between is just a series of turning pages. As is typical, I almost get a glimpse of it but in the end push it away because it is fruitless to try. Just like I feel about everyone else, I will never really let myself change.

As babies, children, teenagers, and sometimes even into early adulthood, other people determine the path. We clearly can not feed ourselves or change our own diapers at infancy and as we grow into teenagers and begin to explore our worlds the people who are closest to us want us to be protected so they establish rules and restrictions on what we are allowed to do. We take this at face value sometimes and the longer we allow another person to make those choices for us the more natural it seems that this would continue all the days of our life. That another person would just continue to coddle us, to “raise” us, and of course to make all the decisions seems like it would be the obvious path.

The fantastic thing about letting someone else run everything, make all the choices and determine the journey that we take, is that we are never to blame if something should go terribly wrong. There is always a scape goat to pin the problem on because we were never the one to make the decision in the first place, it was always someone else. It really is simultaneously liberating but stifling to realize it is not possible to ever be wrong because I never make my own choices. A blessing and a curse to be sure.

I can easily sit around and talk about everyone else and all the bad decisions they make because I am in the perfect place to judge; remember, I have never made a wrong choice in my entire life! Of course, I am somewhat conflicted because, again, I have not made any choices at all. I am not sure how much I like that and I am starting to wonder if I am just a sheep following a shepherd blindly to the edge of a great precipice. For the first time in all of my years on this Earth I am slowly starting to question everything I have grown to believe is right, everything I have been told (in a manner of speaking) to think and feel but at the same time I wonder if it would actually be possible to transform.

Since I have slowly been convinced to change but did not fully realize it was happening to me all this time, what could I possibly do to go back to my own train of thought? Did I ever have one to begin with?

I guess the bottom line is that I have grown accustomed to whom and what I am, to how I live my life and to my daily surrender so whether the answer to that question is yes or no is really of no concern because as we all know, I will personally choose to do nothing about it either way.

Am I Seriously That Desperate For A Blog?

The answer you are looking for is, yes. Yes, I am definitely that desperate for a blog. OK in all fairness I am really only desperate for a personal blog because I have been writing Green Leaf Reviewer every day for a couple months now so my brain is pretty much just jostling around in the eco friendly water and it is like I lost focus on everything else. Or at least my ability to write about it. So lucky for everyone that follows me this might just be the most chaotic of all my blogs yet. Look for fun links to hysteria.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my “career”, or rather what I think I really want that “career” to be. Yeah if I was talking out loud those would have been annoying-girl air quotes because to me “career” is not really something I ever considered real or tangible, it was always just a mystical thing that people who went to college for four years fell into as soon as they got out. The rest of us, who got bored too quickly and did not quite make the college cut, worked all weekend in retail jobs or as Executive Assistants (or as I like to call them Prostitutes Without the Sex [hopefully] but Only Very Rarely Earning Similar Income).

I used to work in the most boring job ever in this exact role (seriously, 5 minutes of work a day…that will probably become a chapter, definitely a fun story full of interesting characters). Keep in mind that I started with this company in a February. I kept a journal with me at all times to write out my thoughts because after the first three, eight hour days in a row of doing nothing but playing spider solitaire I was starting to freak out. I called it my boredom journal because when the boredom began to rise I took great pleasure in replacing it with a scribbled line of crazed insanity that I might be able to use later. On May 9th I wrote:

“Day after day there are news stories reported about people who literally snap. I believe these people are Executive Assistants.”

I actually managed to stay at that job for another five months and never lost it (miraculous). Of course, I quit with no notice via email (something I had never done before or since).

Most of the jobs I have had over the past twenty (::scary::) years I kind of fell into out of some random twist of fate -- I knew someone who knew someone and it got my foot in the door, or, I was just a write off so the interview was nothing more than to make sure I had a social security number for tax forms. I was really tired of the role I had carved out for myself in the corporate world, the one I could never seem to advance past even though I was always eager to, so for the past year I have been running my own business doing faux finishing. I love faux but it is a shelf life job because seriously I will not be climbing up and down ladders to pounce glaze at age 65 (so you better go ahead and hire me now before its too late…you know who you are).

Then what is it I really want to do for a “career”? It is a good question and one I have been asking myself a lot because I feel that once I have the answer it is actually going to show up. My loose response is I want to be a writer. Narrowing that down a little further it comes down to novelist or blogger. I wonder why I can’t just get paid to spout all this hoo-ha. I mean, hell, if I could make a living doing it, I would definitely start writing this every day. Heaven knows I have plenty of insanity running around my brain that I could satisfy a daily purge. Bukowski did it. At least I’m pretty sure he must have. His stuff is pretty fucked up ya know? The encouraging news is that his writing did end up published so there must be some market out there for the crap I have to say too. I mean, he even got a few novels out of the deal.

The issue is that when I think of a novel it tends to be some 400 page glory-story with a plot and characters and a setting…blah, blah, blah. I have about four of them in various stages sitting on my hard drive right now but every time I open them up I end up doing nothing more than editing what is already there and closing it because my inspiration expires. Probably because none of what I wrote is in any way related to my lame life of football watching and sewing so now comes the big question -- how do I write the real novel that is floating around in my schizo brain, manage to get it published and sell a bajillion copies so I can go ahead and call what I do a “career”?

Or, is the real question -- why do I give a crap about having a “career” anyway and how about just having fun with what it is I want to do then just enjoy when the money follows?

Hmmm. Interesting concept and advice I have given to many people many times so why do I find it so difficult to take my own advice?

Ah…questions that never seem to be answered are on the rise again! When I reread all my old journals that becomes like a metaphor for my entire life.

I guess the real moral of my story up to now is that I need to stop being afraid to just put it all out there and finally get my shit together to do so.

End rant.

Here It Comes Again. Sigh.

Last year at this time we were living in a little beach cottage in Humarock, marveling at the fact that it snowed there in early December. This year we are living in a little apartment, still in Massachusetts but a bit further inland, and yet I am somehow still marveling at the fact that winter is officially here as the snow began to fall this morning just before I woke up. Denial. It is a happy place. At least in my head because I can wear flip flops and tank tops all year long.

Every year I try, really and truly I do, to embrace something about winter. I make my best effort to psych myself up to the fact that as long as I have some fluffy socks, sweat pants, long johns, a wool hat, scarf, heavy jacket, gloves and earmuffs that I will be able to make it through. Sadly though each year, I am reminded that it is still mother-effing cold as the tears I shed instantly turn to icicles on the only two inches of exposed skin I can bring myself to reveal. They do not call us “hearty” in the north east for nothing. And it has barely even begun yet. Surely this is the year that I will perish (read: I am a drama queen when it is cold out).

Geographically speaking we have not gone far but in many other areas of life things have changed a lot in this past year for Matt and I, as well as life milestones for a lot of people we know like the birth of babies or graduating from college. All in all 2008 was a very jam packed year and we are still living it up for the last few weeks of what is left on the calendar. Because we have decided that it is important to drag our sorry cold butts out of the house even in winter, last night we had the distinct pleasure of going to listen to the North Reading Chorale perform at their annual Holiday Concert. It was just what we both needed to get into the spirit of the holidays and one of the best times we have had in a long time.

My Mom’s friend is in the Chorale so really we were going to see her but what a pleasant surprise it was to hear the thirty seven members (including her) belt it out in perfect unison while accompanied by three flute players, a guitarist, three percussionists, a trumpet player and four bell ringers. They were, in a word, amazing. The concert went off without a single hitch and they performed classics like White Christmas, Adeste Fideles, Silent Night and All I Want for Christmas Is You. But then the song of all songs came second to last and I wished I had recorded it.

The name of the song is The Twelve Days After Christmas and thinking back on the lyrics of this hilarious song might just save me from one more day of frigid peril. Well, this and the onslaught of yummy food available at this time of year.

The first day after Christmas, my true love and I had a fight

And so I chopped the pear tree down and burned it just for spite

Then with a single cartridge, I shot that blasted partridge

My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me

The second day after Christmas, I pulled on the old rubber gloves

And very gently wrung the necks of both the turtle doves

My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me

The third day after Christmas, my Mother caught the croup

I had to use the three French Hens to make some chicken soup

The four calling birds were a big mistake for their language was obscene

The five golden rings were completely fake and they turned my fingers green

The sixth day after Christmas, the six laying geese wouldn't lay

I gave the whole darn gaggle to the A.S.P.C.A

On the seventh day, what a mess I found

All seven of the swimming swans had drowned

My true love, my true love, my true love gave to me

The eighth day after Christmas, before they could suspect

I bundled up the eight maids a milking, nine pipers piping, ten ladies dancing, eleven lords a leaping, twelve drummers drumming (Spoken: "Well, actually, I kept ONE of the drummers" ) and sent them back collect

I wrote my true love,

"We are through, love!"

And I said in so many words,

"Furthermore your Christmas gifts were for the birds!"

Today will be a fun day of watching the snow fall and football while cooking soup, sauce, lasagna and chicken stir fry. I think I will stay away from that French hen soup though.

My Nose Says Holidays But It Feels Like Spring

There is a saying in New England that if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change (Bridgete just pointed this phenomenon out while her dad was in town). Yesterday I went to get the mail mid day and heard sleet pinging off the front of the building. By the time I had gotten back upstairs the sleet had stopped and big fat snow flakes were falling from the sky. Last night it was raining pretty steadily and mid thirties; the sun is starting to break through right now and temperatures are beginning to climb into the upper fifties.

On Thanksgiving there was sunshine but it was fairly chilly where we spent the day and for the first time in a long time I let go of a lot of old traditions associated with this holiday. There were times throughout the day that it seemed odd to me as I chatted it up with people I do not normally see on this day and ate foods quite different from the ones I had grown accustomed to but for the most part it was a fantastic day filled with laughter, family, fun and food.

Some of that food, of course, came home with us including turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole and creamed onions. By the next day everything but the turkey was gone and I was strongly considering what to do with the three slices of white meat, chunks of dark meat and wing we still had laying around but no extras to eat with it. This morning I decided a soup would be a nice idea and for the first time ever I attempted to just wing it, like so many people I know who cook, and just throw a bunch of stuff in the pan.

In case anyone is looking for what to do with their leftovers and are not going to make cocktails out of them (tried to find the link but to no avail, this was a story on local news on Thanksgiving night -- gravy cocktail no joke!) I strongly recommend trying this fly by recipe out. For those of you veggies out there just exchange the turkey for extra veggies like celery, broccoli, corn or anything else that graces the table during the holidays because the spices will really flavor them up nicely!

Smells Like Thanksgiving
Fill a medium sauce size pan about three quarters full of cool water
Shake in a bunch of brown rice (less than a full cup)
Cut up carrots & onions and add as desired
Throw in all the leftover turkey you like
Shake in dry basil, black pepper, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg as desired
Add about 4-5 small cloves
Cover & slow simmer boil about 2+ hours

Here is what it looks like on my stove

I hope Matt gets home from his appointment soon or I might just eat it all without him! It will definitely be enjoyable to walk off this filling meal later today in mid fifty degree weather on December first. Who knows what it will be like tomorrow so I am fully taking advantage of the beauty in today.

I Am Thanks Full For…

The order is how they all entered my brain but nothing on this list is really any more important than another item (except maybe food lol). Consider this the condensed version. Enjoy a day full of food, love, football and festive thanks everybody!

Health
Happiness
Love
Smiles
Laughter
Ocean
Sunshine
Rain
Plants
Flowers
Matt
Family
Friends
Connections
Food
Amazing conversations
Quiet days
Fun nights
Red wine
Food
Did I mention food?
Football
Fun
Music
A pen and paper
Fabric
Obama
Nephews
All five of my senses
My sixth sense too
Road trips
Wendy
Being employed
Being unemployed
Making new friends
Chucka Stone Designs
Rock Band
Positivity
Air
Memories
Pictures
My mind
The Dictionary
Baseball
Coffee (I have no idea how this was not first lol)
Late night lovin’
Scrabble
Ingenuity
Perseverance

Unconventional Heat Source -- Bring It On!

Here in New England in November the temperatures tend to hover somewhere in the fifty degree range which makes it just crispy enough to wear a light jacket but not so cold that it is necessary to bundle up completely. Going for a walk is pleasant as the sun shines and the breeze creates a ruby nose ski-tan look that everyone is still able to see because every inch of skin is not yet hidden under down jackets, scarves, hats, mittens and goggles.

This past week we entered into a cold snap akin to the temperatures in January where the mid day high was not really making it out of the thirties. Damn climate change.

So what does a summer loving, need to be barefoot as much as possible, warmth craving, and environmentally conscious gal do without turning the heat up to eighty in the apartment? I re-introduce myself to exercise and the oven. Though not simultaneously of course, that is just dangerous and would require a level of coordination I definitely do not possess.

As you all know Rock Band is quickly becoming my favorite evening activity -- I am priding myself on the fact that I can now pull off scores in the ninety percent range with the level set to Hard and I am starting to actually get the drums in more ways than just hitting the corresponding pad when little boxes of color scroll across the screen. The pads correspond to a real drum kit so not only do I get which pad is associated with which sound (bass drum, snare, cymbal, cowbell, high hat, etc) but I am beginning to feel the rhythm of the songs I play. My arms are flailing about, my right leg is in seemingly constant motion and my core body temperature goes up as I pound away. Many may say this is not exercise but I challenge them to try playing on Hard level for an hour and then let me know how their arms and calf feel the next morning. It is energizing to play rock 'n roll but more importantly, keeping me toasty warm.

Another thing that rocks is channeling the life of a bear. Again, everyone knows how I plan to come back as a Grizzly in my next life because of their play all summer, eat as much as possible then sleep all winter lifestyle. Man that is like a dream come true. So I figure why not get a little bit in touch with that now and start packing it on so I can survive what is clearly shaping up to be a cold ass winter in Boston.

Matt is laughing at me because (and I am the first to admit) I am not what one would typically call domestic but as of late my oven has been firing up some pretty tasty treats and adding joyous warmth into the apartment (not to mention intoxicating smells!). Some of my favorites are homemade sauce which I then used to make lasagna, mashed potatoes, chicken soup from scratch (we cooked a whole bird and I used the bone, veggies and drippings to create the soup), banana bread and of course my specialty desert apple cranberry pie.

Fall just lends itself to cinnamon and brown sugar, apples and cranberries, fatty deliciousness. I want to share the recipe with all of you because the big Turkey day is almost upon us and if you are looking for something super yummy to compliment the meal but do not know what to bring this is definitely a winner! Happy eating, I plan to be either drumming or comatose until spring.

Apple Cranberry Pie

Two 9” pie pastry crusts (or enough home made dough to make them)
3/4 Cup brown sugar (not tightly packed)
1/3 Cup flour
4 Cups apples sliced or chunked (I use Cortland or Gala, sometimes McIntosh)
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 Cup white sugar
1 Tsp cinnamon
2 Cups frozen cranberries
1/2 Tsp cinnamon sugar mix

Preheat oven to 425
Coat pie pan with butter using wax paper to spread & sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture (leave some if you want to use it on the top of the pie as well)
Combine sugars, flour and cinnamon & mix well
Add fruit, thoroughly coat all of it
Place one crust in pan and turn fruit in, distribute leftover dry mix across evenly
Top crust and dot with butter (sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture)
Seal edges with a fork & cut slits in top, remove excess dough from sides
Bake with crust shield for 30 minutes
Remove shield, bake additional 10 minutes or until golden and mixture is bubbling

Let cool slightly and enjoy with a warm cup of tea and cold scoop of ice cream

Beyond Cool

Wowsa, yesterday was great! I chatted with so many different people, handed out tons of cards, discussed the importance of using upcycled material in my designs, saw some family and friends and even sold a few items which had me not only reaching where I wanted to be but exceeding the goals I had set out for the day. WOO HOO!

My Mom did this fair last year and convinced me to give it a go because there was fairly decent traffic and a nice mix of buyers and sellers. She was not wrong! We were lucky enough to request tables right next to each other which was great so we could man each other’s booth when one of us had a need to venture out. Here are the original set ups; we both adjusted placement of materials as the day went on and after doing so both of us got more sales. Coincidence?

I promised to keep everyone updated on the progress of the entertainment center construction as well and Matt certainly got his pallet on yesterday! He located a coffee house in Brighton who was advertising on craigslist that free pallets were available behind the store for anyone to come and snag anytime they like. Some of the reasons he went with that particular one were because he figured they would be sturdy pallets due to the weight they would have to bear as well as a lack of leaked material on the wood which could mean mold or just yucky smells. Other than the aromatic smell of coffee, which if you know us at all is not exactly something we consider a detriment, the wood was mold and smell free.

He was able to acquire a good number of pallets that could be broken down on site (not always possible) and where he did not have to take everything just to get a few good ones (something many places actually required). When I arrived home yesterday he was out on the balcony removing nails and pieces from each other with a bunch of tools.

It took him a good five or six hours to complete everything yesterday from driving over there to completing disassembly but at the end of the day he had a nice stack of lumber drying on the balcony, ready to be planed down.

Since we are attempting to construct this unit completely for free (meaning we do not want to spend any money we have earned from jobs to pay for necessary material needed for construction like hardware, screws, biscuits, glue, paint, etc), as well as reduce the clutter in our apartment, I knew it was time to sell a few more items on craigslist as well. Friday afternoon I posted our old dehumidifier that we still had hanging around from the days of owning a house with a wet-ish basement.

Up until Friday we had been using it as a stand for our bedroom fan; not really operating in the way it should be (plus Matt can just build us a new stand out of pallets right?). Well while he was deconstructing on the balcony, I was in our living room meeting up with a guy who saw the ad on craigslist and came to buy it. Cha-ching. Fifty dollars immediately went into the entertainment center fund and someone who needed it would be putting the dehumidifier to use in its correct function! That will surely acquire a goodly portion, if not all, of the necessary materials we need to finish this baby up.

Matt just wrote up a little something on his pallet retrieval experiences; those who are inclined can read it here.

Based on his calculations we are currently at +$49.18. Yippie!

A Haphazard Mish-Mosh of Arbitrary Madness

That, or “this is going to be a whole bunch of random stuff that has nothing in common other than it is all what is going on in my world right now which is sometimes inconsequential but always all over the place”. Guess that title would be a little too long so I’m happy with the one I went with instead. So then let’s get on with the jumbled mess I call my daily world.

First and foremost this is the last time I’ll be pimping to get as many people as possible out to the FUMC Craft Fair in Melrose tomorrow. 645 Main St 9:00 - 1:00.

All my bags


Are packed

I’m ready to go!

Now that the sales will commence and the production of all those upcycled fabrics lessens, we can finally get our house back together. It is going to seem like we have so much space in our teeny apartment and the quilt-like layer of tiny threads all over the carpet will succumb to the vacuum on Sunday during football. Yee-haw!

Recently Charmaine posted a link to a really fun site where I spent some time “yearbooking” myself into a bunch of different time periods. It made me chuckle to see myself in these different eras but what was really funny is that the 1990 photo is scarily too close to my actual yearbook picture from 1991.

How much hairspray would this take?

I always wondered what I would look like with an afro.

To bang or not to bang?

See what I mean? Talk about hairspray, ugh.

Tomorrow Matt is going to hit the road and start acquiring a trunk load of pallets so we can start construction on our entertainment center. It is going to be a whole lot of fun to watch this thing come together. Nothing like acquiring material for free to create an enormous piece of furniture. I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed that it comes out nice because he already has plans to build a bunch of other functional furniture pieces using this free stock of lumber. That should keep him out of trouble for the entire winter and then he and B can bond over manly things like sawdust and planers while S and I bond over shaking our heads at the guys but enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Is This A Trick?

To give a little background into my weird world, I was always kind of a twisted child; when I won some library contest in grammar school we had a choice of posters and I chose the one with Dracula on it. It was really cool with fog and Dracula was sort of shrouded in shadows at the edge of the forest. I hung it on the back of our bedroom door, so proud for having won it. Many months after hanging it I had a nightmare one night that I was being chased by some weird creature all the way to the edge of a cliff which I fell over. The edge turned out to be the one and only time I actually fell off the top bunk and I landed flat on my face. The poster came down the next day. Although waking up on my face in the middle of the night rattled me, it was not the scariest thing I faced during those years.

When I was a young kid we were babysat after school most days and sometimes our babysitter would travel a couple blocks away, over the old train tracks, to her friend’s house. When we were dragged with her we could hang out with some kids we normally did not have a chance to hang out with after school so it was always a fun time. As kids there were always strange stories circulating and it was just a matter of what urban legend each of us chose to believe in that resulted in what freaked us out; when I was in sixth grade there was no such thing as the internet to verify our information so some of the stories became pretty fantastical. Over on that side of town is where a couple rumors, legends, or perhaps stories based on actual events originated. Many of us will never know.

One day we were hanging out on that side of town and playing some kind of game in the middle of the dead end street. A skunk suddenly appeared and wandered straight down the middle of the street; it was huge and we all stayed clear, thinking we could get sprayed. Since the game was taking a break we started talking and one of the neighborhood kids started telling us this story about The Clowns. She shared the very important information that right there in our own town bad guys dressed up as clowns were riding around in an ice cream truck, handing out poisoned candy to kids. All of us from my grade or younger were completely freaked out and suddenly we were on the lookout for every ice cream truck in the neighborhood. We all wanted to make sure The Clowns were caught and of course sent to jail.

Since that day I have never been able to look at clowns the same way again, I always feel like they must be hiding something. I wonder -- is that clown the one that gave the poisoned sweet tarts to my friend’s neighbor’s cousin’s friend? Since we never heard if they were caught we all had to assume that they remained free to wander suburban neighborhoods, handing out poison laced candies to unsuspecting little kids. I wonder if they will make an appearance tonight?

Its Blast Off Time

Since I started writing Green Leaf Reviewer about two weeks ago I have been questioning a lot of the things I do and how focused I really am on the environment. Not to say that the planet as a whole is not a priority for me because it definitely is -- I recycle, upcycle, drive a fuel efficient car, barely drive anywhere, turn lights and electronics off, yada, yada, yada -- but when it comes to taking care of me, I question if I have lost complete focus. One of the things I said in the welcome message over there is that the environment is everything around us so truthfully, that means my own body as well.

I have been inspired lately with all these great healthy recipes I have been reading about and this past week Matt had to have a tooth pulled.

How do those things relate some of you may wonder? Well fear not for in my ability to weave seemingly random and unrelated topics into one roller coaster ride of a blog post I would love to share it with you.

A couple weeks ago Matt had such a bad toothache that he actually sat in his chair one Friday night and cried from the pain. He had already made an appointment for the following Tuesday but I suggested to just go there in the morning instead and explain the situation so perhaps they could squeeze him in as an emergency appointment. Luckily they did and he came home with a temporary filling. He was feeling much better and booked an appointment for this past Thursday to have the wisdom tooth extracted.

He went in for a three o’clock appointment on Thursday and while he was having an impacted tooth yanked out I was briskly walking the bike path with my friend S, the twins and her Mom. We have decided to try to walk together at least once a week and knowing that I will finally be doing even a little exercise is a great feeling. Matt called to say he was done and drooling so I picked him up and we headed home where he could nap off his pint of blood loss and I could get some sewing done.

For the following few days he was allowed to eat only soft foods and since he was feeling a bit more energy, and a need for a walk himself, he headed down to the supermarket to pick up something edible that would help fill him up. Just as a quick reference point here my Grampa used to tell me I must have a hollow leg with the amount of food I could pack away without gaining any weight. Well if I had one hollow leg Matt surely has two so eating broth for three days was not going to cut it. I gave him a small list and he came home with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples, vanilla flavored Carnation Instant Breakfast, milk and Cream of Wheat.

After making the pesto last week I had some leftover cilantro and was no longer nervous that my (very underutilized) blender was going to explode so I pulled it back out and decided to try my hand at some smoothies that might fill up Matt. I am a lover of fruits and veggies but have frequently said it would be beneficial to own a juicer because I am never going to be the person who just grabs for fruit to snack on but if I were to blend them all together and have a yummy drink well that I could do all day!

I took a handful of blueberries, raspberries, four strawberries, a third of a Macintosh apple, a few chopped sprigs of the cilantro, two packets of the vanilla Carnation instant breakfast and eight ounces of milk and blended it until it was pancake batter consistency. I hesitantly handed it over to him waiting to hear “blech!” but to my surprise he loved it! I loved it too but what we both really loved most was the way we felt about an hour after drinking it.

Those of you who know me are fully aware that I am a proponent of marijuana, but I will tell you something, never in all the years I smoked did I ever feel a high like that. It was like my brain and body were on this complete cloud of clarity; like a sugar high without the jitters. I had energy I could not burn off no matter how I tried and instantly began looking for the permanent placement for the blender on the counter because this was definitely going to happen again.

Today we had another for breakfast but this time I also added a bit of carrot, more apple and reduced the cilantro and strawberry (too many seeds). I can not even express how great I feel and how much I am looking forward to experimenting with alternate fruits and veggies to make this even healthier. Although I made this with cow milk it could easily be exchanged with soy and I am sure there are vegetarian/vegan alternative protein powders to add instead of the vanilla Carnation Instant Breakfast so I will begin my search for those.

Even though some situations may seem bad at the time they are happening, they can certainly prove to be great in the end. If it were not for Matt’s toothache and subsequent extraction I do not think that either of us would have gone walking or started eating healthier just yet. Timing is a wondrous thing.

Oh What A Night

When I went to bed last night I felt that I had done something to make a difference in the world for the entire day. Yesterday was filled with blogging, sewing, creating from new recipes, community activism and great conversation. I felt as if I took a giant leap forward toward a happier and healthier life and want to keep that train a-rolling for sure!

Working from home has become a more regular occurrence as I gear up for the craft fair in November. I have been running the sewing machine (not my car) pretty much non stop. I have a feeling that running the machine is definitely less of an energy sucker than my car would be though. So some of the adorableness of this week includes:





Have I mentioned that the pattern for the clutches is one I created myself a handful of years ago? I have been improving on the design and making changes over the past couple years like adding the Velcro instead of a button, making sure my company tag is sewn in there and generally just lining up the seams and notions better. Everything gets easier with time I guess!

Because Murphy’s Law is something all of us Irish folk are fully in touch with, I know this purse will sell at the fair. So far it is the one I love the most and would keep in a New York minute if given the opportunity (like it not selling at the fair and I get to just take it home for example).

So for Ginger and Karen I would just like to let you know that I did finally create the recipes you both shared that I have been dying to try all month. I combined the two together for a yummy feast last night for mom, Matt and myself before we headed out to the town meeting. On this plate are the salmon patties Karen suggested trying and the ribbon zucchini with pesto Ginger posted. Y-U-M!!

Good. Now that takes care of our minds and bodies, but we should do something good for mankind or the planet for a couple of hours. -- Cher, Clueless

After also devouring some of my mom’s delicious oatmeal chip cookies we took off to hear about all the awesomeness our town is doing in the way of sustainable efforts. There were two guest speakers, one from the Chamber of Commerce, the other from the Committee for Secure Green Future. Both were excellent speakers with quite a wealth of knowledge to share. There were eleven of us in total including the three of us newbies. Everyone was so welcoming and excited to have new members attend! One of the members is also the webmaster and when he found out that I write an environmental blog he asked if I would be interested to let them grab my RSS feed as well as possibly write articles for the soon to be newly revamped website. How could I ever say no?! I am really looking forward to getting more involved with these folks because their reach in the community is so positive.

With that said, today I begin research on my town and the efforts already in place for a better environment here such as waste removal, recycling, energy savings, litter clean up and a slew of other topics that will become extremely fun topics to do a write up on for the website. Of course I plan to finish up this little baby tonight.

Randomness Goes On Forever

It happened again, the dreaded tag. It has gotten to the point where I do not think it is possible to share anything else random about myself without revealing way too much information. Although, that has never stopped me in the past so why should it stop me now?

Because it was my Mom who tagged me it would be impossible for me to blow this one off and hope they did not notice I never completed it. I know my Mom and six months from now I would get a comment reading something like “Hey why did you never do that blog tag I tagged you for here?”

Instead of waiting around for that comment, here are the required seven random facts about myself. As per usual however I will not outright tag anyone else but open it up to say that anyone reading can feel free to play along if they so choose.

1. Only very rarely do I ever eat breakfast, generally I don’t eat anything until about eleven. (Have I shared this before? Déjà vu?)
2. Speaking of…I love déjà vu. There is something so mysteriously excellent about not being able to explain the feeling that something happened before but there is no real recollection that it did.
3. Since I finally got my first cleaning in ages this past July, I now floss every day.
4. Shoes and socks make my feet ache for summer. I like to be barefoot as much as possible.
5. When I handwrite anything it is in all caps and never in blue ink, I am a fine tip, black ink kind of gal.
6. If I were independently wealthy and had time on my hands I would spend a couple weeks at my sister’s house this November and take her to this show. I am quite sure she would fall in love instantly as so many of us do. Sigh.
7. After just coming out of my weirdness phase I am now at a place where I feel like I can accomplish anything -- write, blog, sew and paint all in one day and still have time to watch the Sox trounce the Rays last night.

So now that I got that out of the way here are some recent projects I have completed.

I was commissioned by one of my Mom’s friends, M to create a bag. Her grand daughter (who I happened to go to High School with, man this town is way too small) is having a baby shower in November and M wanted to give her a really nice handmade diaper bag as her gift. She is taking underwater birthing classes and is a diver so the request was made for something watery and with enough pockets for all required baby related items. This was created from a pattern, the first I had ever completed. Also the first zipper I ever installed. That is why my Mom did the zipper and I just swore a lot.


M picked up the bag this week and she was thrilled! That of course made me so happy because it took well over two weeks from purchase of fabric to completed bag. I learned so much though and will be applying those techniques to other bags in the future; hopefully even braving a zipper install all on my own. I have named it Labor of Love.

I booked a table at the First United Methodist Church Craft Fair in Melrose on November 15. This is my first fair and I am a little nervous but just pouring my positive energy into all of the items I am creating for it! I will only be showcasing fabric items like bags, placemats, coasters, etc. Here are a few recently completed items that will make their way to my table. If you are in the Massachusetts area and want to stop by to say hi feel free, I would love to see you! The info - 645 Main St Melrose, MA, Saturday November 15 from 9:00 – 1:00.

Tonight Jason is playing at The Orpheum in Boston but instead of going to see him Matt and I will be enjoying a lovely pasta dinner, then playing a nail biting game of Monopoly, with my Dad and Evil Step Mom*. It will be a bummer to know he is only seven miles away singing his little avocado off and I will not be there but in this past year I have had the opportunity to see him live twice, both times about twenty feet from the edge of the stage and both times meeting people I had never met and now call friends. I should not be so selfish in wanting that ticket and just be glad that maybe someone else (that may have not been able to go if I had) will now get the opportunity to realize how fan-freaking-tastic he is live. I will call this my passive way of sharing the love.

So whoever you are that got that ticket have the most amazing time at the show and I will say to you both congratulations and I’m sorry -- congratulations for discovering the most kick ass, talented, Hottie McHotterson making music today and I’m sorry because once you feel the Jason love there is no turning back. Enjoy the ride.

* The disclaimer for those of you new readers out there, this is what she calls herself and it is totally in jest. She is awesome, fun and not actually even married to my Dad. Although after eleven years together they might as well be, I guess its one of those “if it ain’t broke” type situations.

‘I’m Just the Hired Help Here’

The words that, in my opinion, are forever immortalized by my new favorite reporter, Tom Brokaw. Last night during the town meeting style Presidential debate Tom showed his humor to the world, and although the candidates both did amazing jobs of sharing their policies and feelings, Tom was the clear cut winner with that one sentence alone. He had to remind both men of the style of debate their campaigns agreed upon -- questions asked and directly answered with no chance for rebuttal -- and that each response was limited to one minute. When Obama and McCain attempted to follow up on points made by the other Tom threw his hands up on national television basically admitting he was just a guy being paid to sit there. After his comment (yes it is true that both men still maintained lengthy responses to the questions) they both attempted to reign it in somewhat and begin to answer the questions asked of them.

There were a few things I was personally concerned with hearing responses for last night so I grabbed a notebook and pen and began taking notes as each man spoke. It was interesting to hear how both men responded to questions of another Cold War with Russia ruled by Putin, response to Iran and the possible nuclear threat, support for Israel, and how we should locate and remove bin Laden from Pakistan, but those are not the most pressing issues this country faces in my mind. Foreign policy and diplomacy are certainly important as we work to clean up our image around the world but without first taking care of our own people, it will be impossible for us to care about what happens overseas. There were three areas discussed last night which I took great interest in. First, how they prioritize healthcare, energy and social security. Next, anything related to sustainable/renewable energy or efforts to move away from foreign oil sources was another hot topic for me. Finally what they propose occurs with the current issues of overextended credit and debt and what they would do to clean it up.

On the question of prioritizing social security reform, energy and healthcare as President, McCain responded by placing those topics in the order I have listed here although he did indicate we could tackle all three at once (which I find extremely unrealistic). As a person in their mid thirties I am certainly concerned with the state of social security and its future availability but my biggest concern is that I have somewhere to live in the next thirty years before I would need it. If all three issues are put to be discussed and resolved at once I truly believe that energy discussions will fall off the back end in a McCain Presidency. Obama listed his priorities clearly although not once was social security mentioned. He listed energy, healthcare and education as his priorities as President. Obama indicated a desire to invest fifteen billion dollars over the course of ten years toward alternate sources of energy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The one thing that did not sit especially well with me there is he is focused on investing in the mythical clean coal technology. Coal is not clean, could never be clean and again is a potentially non-renewable resource.

When asked what each man would do over the course of the next two years to better the environment and create green jobs both responded eloquently but only Obama actually stated how many jobs he would look to create. Although Obama is a supporter of clean coal he also discussed solar, wind, geo-thermal and nuclear (in that order) as potential ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and create innovative technologies. He indicated that if a national investment in alternative energy is given attention it could create upwards of five million jobs. McCain briefly referenced the need for more hybrid cars and potential use of hydro power (water) but his main areas of interest were nuclear and off shore drilling. He maintains that nuclear power is safe and clean and he did indicate it will help create jobs but never said how many he would look to open up to the American people.

In response to my final hot button issue of cleaning up the credit debt the people of this country have found themselves in I will be honest, if I had not felt a stronger pull toward one candidate previously this is the question that put my decision over the edge, although he never fully answered the question. McCain discussed a spending freeze, the fact that new jobs should be created, a $5,000 health tax credit, buy back of the loans at the realistic figures they should be at (ie you bought the house at 200K, it is worth 100K, Joe Taxpayer gets to foot the bill for each 100K bad debt as an “investment in the country”) and slammed Obama for talking about raising taxes. Then he uttered unthinkable words; he would reduce people’s tax rate based on the number of children they have. My jaw dropped. I understand that children do bring a tax benefit but as a family who has no children, and no plans of having them, I was completely put off by essentially being told that procreation was one of the only ways to get a break in this country. Will that $500 break pay for a year worth of what is needed to raise a child? I think not. Obama strongly indicated that Washington must lead by example. I paraphrase but he basically said ‘hey, we have a multi-trillion dollar deficit in this country right now, how do you think the American people feel about that?’ He does not want to outright freeze spending but cut it instead and did not mention if he plans to raise taxes as McCain indicated.

Although there are still plenty of topics I do not agree with Obama on fully, I did not feel less of a person for not having children, I feel his investment in the planet will be greater and I truly feel as if he and his wife, Michelle, are far more concerned with helping the people of our country first before jumping into fixing problems of other nations because without the support of the American people the President has nothing to lead but his own agenda. We all see where that has gotten us in just eight short years.

The one thing that pleases me to hear is that both major candidates agree on one fact: this country needs to change.

Please watch the next debate on Wednesday October 15 and see if both men give Dan Vogt a reason to be as funny as Tom Brokaw was last night.

Yes we can.

Top Five

I feel like I am living inside a John Cusack movie right now. As if all the dark and twisted happenings have this undertone of humor that everyone else gets but I never experience because all I do the entire hour and forty minutes is brood. Admittedly his earlier films, like Sixteen Candles, are a bit light and fluffy for my current mood, but his independent stuff after the 1980’s turned up collar era is pretty close to how I feel.

In High Fidelity, one of my very favorite of his performances, it was all about music, how that related to his whole life and what about it defined all his relationships. He made top five lists for everything in his life; the entire movie was based around that premise. So here are some of my own top five, in no particular order.

Top five things I do all the time

Wake up and immediately pour a cup of coffee the size of my head. This corresponds with the fact that I do not speak until at least half of that cup is ingested. Some days it is the entire cup. Believe me this is safer for everyone involved.

Say please and thank you. And mean it. Common politeness is so underrated in society today.

Look at southern California. When the weather report comes on and the meteorologist shows the picture of the entire country, my eyes immediately go right for SoCal. Most of the time I miss the temperature here in the north east because I end up lingering so long over on the other side of the country.

Over analyze. Both a blessing and a curse I guess. As a writer I tend to put this quality to good use most of the time when typing away but in other areas of life it can become a bit tedious. There are days when I really wish I could be one of those blissfully unaware types, a person who never questions anything because they have no idea that they should. It would be so cool to truly be able to live in the moment without my brain always wondering what it all means.

Start things that I never finish. School, countless novels, career paths, relationships, living my dreams. The list goes on an on and it makes me good at everything but great at nothing. This is not to say that I never finish anything however, it is just that my moods and interests wane; sometimes the big things I was so enthusiastic about at first bore me after a period of time and I need to move on.

Top five favorite finishes

Stripes. Tough to complete because there is so much prep involved but they are one of the most versatile, gorgeous finishes. They can be done in so many different ways (product, color, size, etc) to achieve the perfect effect. The boys nursery is done in nine inch wide, alternating, strie stripes. It gives a wallpaper effect.


Brick. Talk about prep time but very loft chic!

Stainless steel. I have not actually installed this anywhere yet but I am dying to do so! Want to hire me? I’ll put it on your backsplash, kitchen cabinets or anywhere that sleek look is desired. Go ahead and give me a call. Have brush will travel.

Stone with veining. Another fun finish for its versatility. It looks really hot in a bathroom as tiles under chair rail.

Crosshatch. This picture shows a chameleon beige base with a pearl glaze in very flowing crosshatch basket strokes. Everywhere in the room and at all different times of the day the finish presents entirely different. For example on the lower right wall it looks like a solid color but in late afternoon the skylight above shines off the pearl and it reflects beautifully.

Top five movie quotes

“You’ll meet them all again on their long journey to the middle.”
Lester Bangs, Almost Famous

“My darling girl, when are you going to understand that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage.”
Aunt Frances, Practical Magic

“But I am an artist. I am an artist. Hey! I am an artist!”
Samantha James, Just Friends

“On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.”
Narrator, Fight Club

“What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?”
Rob Gordon, High Fidelity

Oughterrard

A light, cool breeze
I turned to view a green field,
In an instant,
Memories of you

Sunrise would be bedtime
Sleep deprived and backwards
Past the silent Aughnanure Castle
To the shores of the Lough Corrib

Warm tomatos, eggs and bacon
German tourists with well wishes
Cows graze in unspoiled meadows
Fog rolls in the morning

Red Rover, red Rover
Traverse the Connemara.
From Cliffs seven hundred feet above,
Wind down to sandy white beaches

Point then turn to follow
Hold breath through brambled branches
Ruins for exploration
Blazing skies blanket the mountains.

Tired of ham and cheese,
Chinese food in Galway?
Everything closes so early
Food past six is Guinness

Peat moss and singing fill the air
Dirt roads that wind with a smile
I miss the smells and sounds
Serenity and peace

Under My Umbrella

There is a certain satisfaction that comes from doing something to benefit others. Yesterday four of us braved the rain to make the three plus mile trek through Boston for the 2008 Memory Walk. Every year our Fearless Leader, my Aunt S, gets our team pumped up to raise donations toward finding a cure and we all did pretty good this year, missing our goals by not too much. The walk itself is always a good time even though none of us are in shape and we all have blisters by the end of the day, we know exactly who we are doing it for and that alone negates any physical pain we may feel.

It was pouring rain this year, the first time that has happened since I have done the walk, but the temperatures were in the low seventies which made it bearable. We had to wait for Aunt S to complete her work registering walkers at the VIP tent so luckily we were on the tail end of the sea of dueling umbrellas.


The clear dome umbrella I carried did nothing to keep my feet dry in the lakes of water we trudged through along the route. I finally had to pretend it was 1984 and peg my pants just to keep the mud from collecting on the back of my legs. We wore our team shirts proudly; Matt was the only one not wearing multiple layers so he showed it off.

On top of the Prudential building there is an observation deck with a 360 degree view of the city. I highly recommend checking it out as it is a fantastic view for tourists and life long residents alike. Sadly there were probably not too many people taking advantage of this yesterday. Hurricane Kyle was the reason for the soggy day and it was cool to see how the bands of clouds shrouded the Pru.

The walk takes us down Storrow Drive, past the Hatch Shell and then crosses the Mass Ave Bridge to head back down the opposite side of the Charles River, ending back in Cambridge where we started. Crossing the bridge is an experience itself. There are units of measure painted on the sidewalk all the way from one end to the other. The bridge is not measured in feet per se but in Smoots. What is a Smoot one may ask? The abridged version – Oliver Smoot was a student at MIT, he was five feet, seven inches tall and in 1958 he allowed his pledge class to literally turn him end over end to acquire an accurate measurement of the bridge. The bridge is 364.4 Smoots plus one ear in length. I will let everyone do their own math on that one. Even though fifty years have passed since this was first completed, the painting of Smoot markers is maintained on the sidewalk. Here is the halfway point. I guess they were not too fond of their collegiate experience.

On the Cambridge side of the Charles River are some of the most wonderful skyline shots to be had in the city. The rain slowed by the time we made it to this point and the clouds cleared from the Pru allowing me to snap this cool shot with birds on buoys, spreading their wings presumably to dry out. To the left of this would be the Hancock followed by Beacon Hill (marked by the gold dome of the State House) and ending at Boston Harbor with the view of the financial district.

None of us thought the Sox would actually play their double header with the Yankees due to the intermittent tropical downpours but the lights went on at Fenway Park and they battled it out between the raindrops. Although we let them have the first game, the Sox ended the night on a high note of jumping around after their nail biting win. Here, the infamous Citgo sign (visible from the Mass Ave Bridge) marks the basic location of Fenway. Do not look for a gas station underneath it as it is simply a big neon billboard; a permanent fixture on the Boston skyline.

It only took us a couple hours to complete the walk with all the stops to snap photos, use the bathroom, or acquire snacks but because we started late we were among the last to arrive back. The free lunch I mentioned previously was the only down point in the day; the outfit providing said lunch piled the food onto the early walker plates (while we waited in line for literally an hour and a half, we watched them pass us with full plates). By the time we got there they had begun to run out of food. My Mom is a vegetarian and was not eating the steak (which is all that was left). I was mortified when they gave her attitude for asking for a couple extra French fries instead and then scowled at her as they literally tossed them on her plate. I asked for a small extra steak tip and was told no because there were so many other people to feed and we should have gotten there two hours prior. Simultaneously we all said we had, we were in line watching full plates of food go past us. He laughed and my stomach turned. Because we all wanted to make the day as excellent as possible, we decided not to let that little set back throw us so the four of us planned to meet at our place at six o’clock to go for dinner.

I had acquired ten huge tomatoes from my dad earlier in the week and was planning to make a sauce on Sunday after the walk. Dinner had not been part of the original plan but Matt and I were swinging by the grocery store on the way home to pick up a can of paste and fresh basil anyway so we added some whole wheat crusts, onion, shredded mozzarella and pepperoni to the basket so we could have a nice homemade pizza night at our place with the ladies. It went over so well there was not a single slice left.

It is no secret that I am not the most domestic of gals but the one thing I make really well is a red sauce. Since so many of my bloggy friends share their awesome recipes, I figured it would be nice to do the same. I am not including measurements as I think adding or subtracting is all to taste but this is the recipe from fresh tomatoes so please bear in mind this is definitely an all day endeavor. I personally think there is something blissfully therapeutic about stirring sauce all day; it allows me to slow down a little bit. It is especially nice to do this on a Sunday with football on in the background. Enjoy!

Red Sauce

Roughly dice and remove seeds from 8-12 large tomatoes. In a medium sauce pan bring to a slow boil uncovered. Leave on medium heat uncovered and boiling for approximately one half hour. Stir frequently bringing the liquid up from the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, sugar, nutmeg, allspice and additionally desired spices on top and let sit. Chop up a whole bunch of basil and fold into the mixture. The tomatoes should still be pretty chunky but watering down somewhat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover.

In a separate frying pan brown some garlic then add red onion and fry until the onions start to become clear. For a meat sauce, add the meat to this mixture and cook thoroughly. Add this to the sauce and stir in. Add one small can of tomato paste and stir in to thicken. Splash in a small amount of red wine (about an eighth of a cup) to balance the garlic and add flavor.

Continue boiling the mixture on simmer for two to three more hours, stirring about every fifteen minutes. Taste every half hour or so as the flavors begin to blend and add spices as desired. The longer it cooks the thicker the sauce will be. Allow to cool (covered) for about a half hour prior to eating.

Almost Time to Put Away the Flip Flops

As of three days ago, fall officially began but I did not need a calendar to remind me this year. In the past few days I have noticed that the leaves are turning in random pockets and progressively in the past couple weeks the temperatures here in the northeast have started the inevitable downward spiral.

Even though I am a summer baby who is still a firm advocate for the hotter the better, there is something comforting about the early days of fall. Perhaps it is the re-introduction of warm colors, like red, brown, orange and yellow, which provide me a stronger bond to the Earth instead of my usual Water connection. After a summer full of an almost inexplicable need to be in or around water of any sort (but primarily the ocean), there is a peaceful feeling that comes from abandoning my fins for the land. Cooler temperatures allow for light sweaters and hot bowls of chicken soup with stars and even though I am not a big proponent of exercise I love to take off for a woodsy hike or city stroll on a sunny day.

This Sunday morning me, Matt, my Mom and our Fearless Leader my Aunt S are taking part in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk in support of and to honor the many family members and friends we all know who suffer with effects from this terrible disease. This is my fifth walk, sixth year collecting donations and I actually hit my goal this year which was really exciting. Sadly, the forecast for a nice sunny stroll like we have had in most years past is not looking good.

The event of course is rain or shine. The good news is they are doing a big lunch at the end for all the walkers and it is only a short walk from the Cambridgeside Galleria, past the Museum of Science, down part of Storrow Drive, over the MIT Bridge and back down the opposite side of the Charles River to end back at the Galleria. We always manage to have a terrific time walking no matter what it is like outside and this year will be no different regardless of the predicted showers. Maybe that will prompt all of us to walk a little quicker and return home a little faster just in case the Red Sox Yankees game is not rained out.

Luckily the Sox are in the Wild Card spot regardless if we beat the Evil Empire and really luckily the Yankees are all done no matter if we ever play this final series of the season or not. It just makes me happy to think that maybe now Giambi will get rid of the cat on his face that has clearly not helped them garner a spot in the playoffs. I understand that an outfield is slippery when wet but it always aggravates me that rarely ever is baseball played in the rain. Games can always be made up in off days or double headers later because they play roughly 160 games per regular season. Then October arrives and the beginning of fall brings an end to the baseball season and the beginning of football.

Football games are played in rain, snow, sleet, hail, driving winds, 100 degree temperatures or any other element Mother Nature can throw at non-domed stadiums and teams suck it up and play because they have to. With only seventeen weeks of regular season play there is no time for a make up game. They come at you hard and fast and leave just as quickly. Just like fall in New England.

Autumn brings my favorite nationally celebrated holiday Halloween, the perfect excuse to cuddle up on a Saturday morning with a cup of tea, and the death that brings the rebirth of spring. It is the season that is necessary for leaves to fall and blanket the Earth beneath the snow of winter when the trees, and I, hibernate. Fall is the season of change.

In honor of that change and the many others I have personally made lately, I present this brilliant piece of musical prowess to keep everyone entertained while I pack up the summer clothes and pull out the wool cable knit sweaters.

Time to change.

Maybe I will leave one pair of sandals beside the sofa, just in case we have an unexpected heat wave in October.

“You’re Always Rockin the Random Hair Colors”

On the phone the other night with my sister I told her that another crazy color has now made its way to the top of my head and in response she said word for word what I have quoted for the title. She immediately followed that up by requesting pictures which I was hesitant to commit to at first (it was such a big change I was even a little shocked) but in the end it got me thinking that she is completely right. I love to mix it up. It is only hair and eventually it will grow out and be cut off. For at least the next month this is me; I will own it and to be honest it is starting to grow on me.

There are now only about four colors my hair has never been -- pink, blue, purple and green -- and I am quite sure I will eventually get around to some of those. Not green though, that always makes me think of the early days of hair color when women would go blonde and then get in a pool. To be fair, I have also never allowed myself to go gray; that is the color I try to avoid by using all these other ones. Someday when I am old and my roots start to grow in at a 70/30 proportion I will just dye it grey and get it over with. I will go with the stunning Jamie Lee Curtis look and be the sexy older gal who rocks short, gray hair. Let me just make a point to note that I do not consider Ms. Curtis to be old, despite how those sentences appear to connect. I am only in my thirties so if I was on the same track as her I still have fifteen years of insanity before I flip to silver. Then again, maybe that would be a good time to go purple.

Over the last year or so I would spend a ridiculously long time staring at the boxes full of smiling faces and end up reaching for auburn with a sigh, wishing I had the guts to do something extreme like this again.




I mentioned that I have never gone pink but it certainly looks that way so let me explain. My hair was as short as the photo on the right but I still wanted to do something outrageous while I visited my friend D and her then husband A in North Carolina so A grabbed his little neon hair ties and D grabbed her fake hair extensions. He spent about two hours turning my tiny hair into little nubs on top of my head then placed the extensions all over the back. We went dancing that night and it was a blast. Removing all of them the next day turned me into Foxy Blonde due to the platinum afro I was left with. This color made it about a year -- the maintenance with root touch up became aggravating so eventually it went back to auburn.

Another short lived, but much more difficult to get rid of, color was when I went jet black. That was fun but harsh in contrast to auburn and I did not love it. In addition to the color, this was during a time when I was attempting to grow my hair out so there was (to me) a lot of very dark hair. After a few days of looking in the mirror at a new color I usually start to think ‘it could be alright’ but that feeling never came. Within days I was doing everything possible to try to soften it but as a painter I know that it is always easier to deepen a color than lighten it and it took a really long time to get rid of. I eventually gave in, going shorter with the cut, and pulled out the bleach to strip the black out which is what led me to sandy blonde this past summer.

After close to two years of bouncing between brown and auburn then finally on to (hold me back) sandy, reddish blonde I had enough of my boring head so while picking up body wash the other day I spent literally thirty seconds in the aisle of happy boxes; just long enough to scan for something wild. I thought it might present a little deeper but no; it looks as if Strawberry Shortcake is my sister. Think fire truck, the heart on “I ♥ NY” shirts, lights on an ambulance, stop signs. Yeah. On the plus side she dresses really cute -- she knows how to rock a hat and pink patent leather Mary Janes with a jean skirt and a hoodie so I suppose there could be worse characters to resemble. She is adorable and apparently a really good person, not to mention “spunky” which I certainly have going for me. Hmmm, I actually have that entire outfit.

Yesterday while touring the Boston Harbor Islands (which I will expand on at some point) Matt snapped a couple photos of me that I am willing to share.

Holding up our fine city.

Let me out of here!

This wall was at least four feet thick.

I took the one of the two of us together. Matt looks exactly the same as he did four years ago.