Filed under: musings
So, Mark has been using these Moleskine notebooks for years. He loves them, and I can understand why. The unbleached paper, bound by string and leather reminds us of another time and something now seemingly forgotten: written word — notes, sketches, poems otherwise lost to email, text messages, computer programming, and well, blogging.
But, there’s more. Oh yes, for your $10-15, you not only receive this hand-bound piece of art, but also are now associated with literary and artistic giants such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Hemingway, and Chatwin. Suddenly, your words are no longer perfunctory thoughts, rather potential literature read by generations to come. The Moleskine is the Chanel of the intellectual community: the demarcation of greatness by association, as though these Giants impart something to us simply by owning one. Genius.
music is the shorthand of emotion. — Leo Tolstoy
Can you imagine life without music? I remember that scene in Shawshank Redemption where Tim Robbins’ character breaks into the warden’s office and plays the opera record, and how every tough jailbird stops, mesmerized by the beauty of the music. That’s how I feel when I listen to Sigur Ros: somewhere inside of me, a secret army of unspoken expressions, waiting patiently to emote, are finally recognized and liberated. Sigur Ros accomplishes aurally what Radiohead does lyrically: it beautifully portrays the plight of my humanness. And because I am a person who really relishes my independence, it can be healthy for me to remember the devastation of self-reliance. Wow. That sounded dower. All I mean is that it’s good for me to remember that I am who I am and where I am because the Lord salvaged this destined-for-death-self and imparted – life.
I can’t understand a word that they’re singing; it’s a combination of Icelandic (their native language) and Hopelandic (a language they’ve created). But, I take complete imaginary license with their music, using it to say, or sing, what I want. I hope they don’t mind.
Anyway, Sigur Ros released a DVD this last November, Heima. In it they filmed a series of 15 or so FREE concerts that they performed in Iceland at the end of their last world tour. They wanted to give back to the people (so incredible). So, they traveled to sporadic places in the mountains, towns, grasslands, etc. of Iceland to play, filmed it, and released this DVD. This is the higher quality trailer, or you can watch it below on youtube. It’s a fantastic film. Well, I suppose only if you enjoy their music — and I have friends who don’t. No harm done.
Filed under: Food
I have been snacking on this stuff for the last couple of days…and it is de-li-cious! I wish I would have discovered it when I was pregnant. So, I thought surely at least one of my many pregnant friends would enjoy trying this new treasure. (I’ve especially loved it with celery.)Make sure to get the raw, not roasted…more vitamins, and it’s better for you than peanut butter. But, at $10 a jar (!), it might as well be made of gold. Needless to say, I am not sharing it with the kids. They still get the pb.
Filed under: pictures
My mom and dad bought Liam a kid-proof digital camera for his birthday in September. I finally uploaded all 320 pictures! that they’ve taken thus far. Most of them were either a picture of someone’s crotch or butt, the floor or ceiling, or you couldn’t tell what. But, some of them were great and funny. I picked out a couple to give us all a little glimpse of life according to little liam and burke.
Filed under: books/music/film
We finally rented and watched Once the other night. This independent, modern musical takes place in Dublin over the period of a week. I know the word musical conjures all sorts of images of awkward songs exchanged between characters, or scenes of group dancing (all of which I enjoy), but this film is different; the music, which is beautiful, naturally and authentically tells the stories of both main characters, each struggling in their minimal existence. It inspires, heals, and propels them when they both needed it. It’s a short film that’s shot mostly with a handheld camera (might make you a little dizzy at times), but it’s simple, real, and completely believable. It is slow at some points, but in my opinion, completely worth watching.
Filed under: stories
Grandpa, today you went to be with Jesus. Even your last words, “I’m going home,” celebrate the anticipation of being with Him. I rejoice knowing that you are at peace in your new body, not having to wrestle your deteriorating one any longer, and that you now live in the full revelation of Love, Life, and Truth. Still, I will miss you. I will miss your raspy Marlon Brando voice and your tributes to the meaning or purpose of family. I will miss the stories of imaginative bears and squirrels that you tell the boys. I will miss your jokes and ability to make people laugh, even in the most serious circumstances. But, I will remember too. I will remember you taking me out dancing as a little girl. I will remember the pizza pie, miniature slot machines, and your love for New York City. I will remember the big blue recliner — “grandpa’s chair.” I will remember the endless supply of drawing paper and National Geographic. I will remember ”God-doogee” and other grandpa-isms. I will remember the bowls of candies and treats, and that you never let us leave your house without taking something with us. I will remember the way that you would tease us with stories of the boogie man, but always let us know how proud you were of us. I will remember you, Grandpa. I love you.
Filed under: pictures
My good friend, Joy, had a birthday this week, so a few of us went to a little tea shop to celebrate. We had the most delicious tea (EVER! — Forte tea: Flora), scones, and conversation. We even used cat-shaped ceramics to pour our cream (truly, it looks like the cat is vomiting into the milk). It really made me feel like a little girl again; only, we forgot our dress up clothes.
Filed under: Food
This was my new recipe this week, and it was delicious. The entire family loved it. But, Liam did say he doesn’t really like “spa-sparagus” that much — Burke and Blythe had seconds.
Serves 4-6 adults Prep Time: 15 min. Cook Time: 15 min.
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2 pounds of asparagus
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1 pound thin spaghetti
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2 Tbsp. of butter
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4 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour
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2 (14 oz.) cans of chicken or vegetable broth
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8 oz. goat cheese
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2 tsp. grated lemon peel
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1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
Peel the asparagus stalks, if they’re stringy. I used young, crisp asparagus, and it worked fine not peeling them. Trim the ends of the asparagus regardless, and cut the stalks into 2 inch pieces. Heat a large pan of lightly salted water to boiling over high heat. Blanch the asparagus in the boiling water for 3 minutes, or until they’re bright green and crisp-tender when tested with a small knife. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon, and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water, and cook according to the label until al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Blend in the flour with a whisk, and add the broth. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Blend in the goat cheese and the lemon peel.
Fortunate for us all, the boys are at the age where they generate stories regularly, and since Blythe is not yet of the age where she causes as much “trouble,” I thought I would write out a few of our “doodlebug’s” favorites to give you a little glimpse of, well, her. She’ll be 15 months tomorrow, and we really are grateful for her blithe spirit in our home.
BLYTHE’S FAVORITE:
TUNE: Darth Vader’s theme song. Although she can’t do it on command, we hear her whistle this little tune 2-3 times a day.
PASTIME: Moving furniture, dancing, or turning the TV on and off.
WORDS: “MOM!” or ”oh wow!” and tons of incessant gibberish.
DEFENSE: scream. Her screams remind me of the Nozgul (the ring-wraiths in Lord of the Rings).
LOVES: animals, her blanket, and her brothers.
Oct. 2007
July 2007
Filed under: stories
So this last week I’ve been cleaning out the kids rooms of toys, books, and needless junk to make room for more toys, books, and needless junk. Anyway, the other day while in the midst of this, I realize the boys have left the room and are quiet again. Trouble. I call for them and immediately Liam pops in the room declaring, “I only ate some salt, but Burke, he made a real mess.” Uh-oh. I run to the kitchen and found this
Burke wasn’t even phased that I saw him. He just kept licking and scooping, licking and scooping…off the floor. Nice. And as you all know, when you mix powdered sugar with anything wet (be it water or saliva), it sticks together and gets hard. I wish I had a better picture of Burke’s clothes. It’s as if he had bathed and then layed tummy-down in the sugar. He was licking his hand, wiping up sugar, licking again, then wiping his shirt or jeans. It was caked on his clothing from his shoulders to his toes. And I had to scrub, scrub, scrub the floor to remove the cement-like sugar creation from the tile. But, at least those tile are clean.
And I love this: Liam, knowing that he’s in trouble, promptly stops whatever he’s doing and tries to explain why it really wasn’t that bad, or wasn’t his fault, or how he didn’t know. Burke, on the other hand, figures he’s in trouble, and he’s going to live it up until I remove him. Oh, and by the way, there were two other bottles of decorative sugars involved, dumped in another area of the kitchen.
Filed under: pictures
Today we received a little, and I do mean little, oak tree for recycling our Christmas tree. So, this morning Mark and the kids (I only documented the event) planted our humble tree in the front yard.
Filed under: stories
That’s right, folks. This Christmas Mark and I received his and her tasers from his father. Mark’s is silver and black, and is already in his glove compartment. This is a gift I hope to never use. Although, Mark is dying to…so, if any of you want to volunteer to be “tased,” please let him know. Oh yeah, and it doubles as a flashlight.
Filed under: Food
For the last…well, a long time, I’ve wanted to create some way of organizing the random meals that I make, love, and then can’t seem to remember when I need them. And several of you have inquired about the meals I make here at the Douglass house. So, I thought by posting these “recipes,” I can organize myself and share them with you. And I’ll only post the ones that we like.
I had a delicious grilled portabella sandwich in a restaraunt last month. It inspired me. I’m not sure it tasted the same, but I still enjoyed these. They are very substantive; serve half for the kids.
GRILLED PORTABELLA SANDWICHES
Serves 4 adults Prep time: 10 min. Cook Time: 15 min
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4 Portabella Mushrooms, wash & remove stems
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1 onion, sliced
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4 whole grain buns
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4 slices of Swiss cheese
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1-2 garlic cloves, chopped, use to taste
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butter
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olive oil
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salt & pepper
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Salt and pepper both sides of the mushroom and place on the grill. Grill both sides. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until they’re soft. Open the buns and lay them out on a baking tray. (I used the Ezekiel bread buns which are pretty grainy tasting, so I buttered them before putting them in the oven.) Broil the buns until they’re toasted. Put a slice of cheese on the buns long enough to melt it. Add whatever condiments you like (Bethany: mayo, Mark: A1 sauce).
Filed under: musings
Well, we’re back from our whirlwind Christmas in north Texas; I’ll post some pictures soon. But, today is the first day of the new year: fresh starts, bright beginnings…etc. It’s time to assess the past and dream of the future: it’s time for resolutions. So, I thought you might enjoy hearing a few of my own:
1. Work-out (at gym or outside) 3 days a week. I know it’s cliche. But this was last year’s goal, and seeing that it only happened twice, it’s still a legitimate goal.
2. Try a new recipe once a week. Also last year’s goal, and I was successful until about October. I’m pushing through in 2008.
3. Finish a book. I know it’s sad. It’s the biggest thing that I miss in this little life –reading time. I have time, but right now it’s sporadic. I have a really difficult time getting into a book that I might have to read over a month or two. So, I either skim or don’t finish it at all.
Anyone want to share their personal resolutions? I would love to hear them!
