Just Reggae

Last night I dreamed that I was out in my yard and my neighbors were playing reggae, live and loud. They saw me, and Bob Marley (my neighbor) invited me to come over and dance! I started to head over but realized I didn’t have my iPhone on me, and I simply had to get some pictures/video of this, so I ran back in the house for my iPhone. As I was heading back out I realized I couldn’t see, so I went back inside for my glasses.

While inside getting my glasses I was surrounded by a group of people who wanted to talk about some money owed them by someone else (not me.) I tried to get away but they were actually quite nice and just wanted to be heard, so I stayed. Then I got pulled into going out to eat but we ended up waiting in a car because apparently we were at the wrong restaurant.

All the while I just wanted to go back and dance.

Moral of the dream: when the neighbor asks you to come over and dance, just go over and dance.

Chocolate Pretzel Treats


Found this idea via Pinterest months ago, and when my mom asked me to bring a “chocolate dessert” for Easter brunch, I decided to make them with a spring twist.

Milk chocolate Hersey Kisses on square mini pretzels, topped with spring theme M&Ms.
Dark chocolate Dove Promises on mini pretzel twists, topped with Cadbury Mini-Eggs and Nerds jelly beans.
Put the pretzels on parchment on a cookie sheet, top each with chocolate. Melt at 350°F for 2 minutes. Press candy into center. Chill in fridge till set.

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Highlights

Golden Globes Fey Fotobomb

(visit full post for animation)

On being an artist

"T"

I watch my youngest son, thirteen on the verge of fourteen, as he builds worlds as he has since he was a little boy. He draws, he writes. He doesn’t wonder if they’re good enough, or if he’ll find an audience. He just creates. He shows them to his friends, they’ll sometimes offer suggestions which he’ll incorporate… or not.

Is this art? Maybe that depends on your opinion of stick figure comics (like XKCD, or even rage comics, I suppose.) He certainly has talent, he draws quite well when he chooses to. He’s made an active choice not to with this project, but it suits the medium (comics drawn on printer paper.) What you don’t see in this image are the detailed story-lines that go with it. He truly has created a world for these little stick figures, a funny, occasionally violent, sometimes quite charming, ever-changing universe.

Light figure by T

He reminds me of me, when I was his age. I’d sit alone for hours in my room, writing short stories, journaling, sketching. Unlike my son I rarely showed any of it to anyone- to this day no one has seen most of what remains in storage boxes (though sadly much of it has been lost.) I never had the nerve to think of myself as an artist, but when I see the same behaviors in my son I don’t hesitate to use the word.

What’s the line between wannabe and artist? What’s the criteria?

From Wikipedia:

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art… Artist is a descriptive term applied to a person who engages in an activity deemed to be an art. An artist also may be defined unofficially as ‘a person who expresses him- or herself through a medium’.

From the Oxford dictionary:

a person who creates paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby.

  • a person who practises or performs any of the creative arts, such as a sculptor, film-maker, actor, or dancer.
  • a person skilled at a particular task or occupation: a surgeon who is an artist with the scalpel

Am I ready to claim the term to describe myself? Let’s put it this way- I’m working on it.

iPad Apps for Dad

My dad just got an iPad and asked me for app suggestions. These are based on what I think will interest him, so it’s a pretty general and basic list, but maybe other dads (& moms) out there with new iPads might find it useful, so here it is!
(PS- sorry about the lack of links, but just search the bolded terms in iTunes or the App Store!)

New York Times (subscription needed)
National Geographic (subscription needed)
USA Today
EW Magazine (Entertainment Weekly – subscription needed)
Flipboard Aggregator
Pulse Aggregator
Zite Aggregator

Kindle App
iBooks

WeatherBug
TWC (the Weather Channel)

NYPL Biblion (Current issue is The World of Tomorrow about the 1939 World’s Fair)
Google Earth
StarTracker HD Virtual Reality
FallingSands Time waster
Glass Piano Easy music

Verizon FiOS Mobile
Netflix
IMDb (Internet Movie Database)

NPR
ABC Player
NBC
PBS
Yahoo Sportacular

Target Shopping
Amazon Shopping
Windowshop (Amazon) Shopping
Walgreens Shopping

Urbanspoon Dining
OpenTable Dining

AllRecipes Cooking
Epicurious Cooking

Skype
Wi-Fi Finder Finds Wi-Fi signals, useful when traveling

Google Search and access to all Google apps
Bing for iPad
WebMD Simple medical info

Three more words – 2012

Last year I came up with three words to help me define and progress through my year (you can read about them here, and about the idea itself from the man who came up with it, Chris Brogan, here.)

I’ve gone back and forth on whether to choose three words for this year, but once I realized that last year’s words did in fact make a difference, I figured I’ve nothing to lose and possibly so much to gain.

Last year I chose the words drop, deepen, and frame. When I felt overwhelmed I’d glance over at the white board next to me and choose the one that fit the problem best. Was this something that I wasn’t going to see much if any benefit from (income, joy, whatever)? Drop it. Was it something I found myself returning to, wanting to learn more about, having fun with? Deepen my knowledge of or participation in it. Maybe I just needed to find some focus? Look for or create boundaries or a framework.

I think I’ll keep those three words in place- but add three more.

So without further wordage or ado- my three words for 2012:

Joy
If it’s not joyful, then why am I doing it? That’s a legit question with some legit answers but in this one life, I want joy to come first. Joy in creating, joy in community, joy in family, joy in giving back, joy in being entertained…

Grace
I’m a natural born cynic. I’ve both embraced and fought against this aspect of my personality over the years, but being cynical is hard work. Stepping back with grace is easier. And nicer.

Strength
It took me nearly half a century to figure out that doing something over and over can pay back more than it takes away. Not everything I do needs to be fresh and new. For me this was a hard fought lesson to learn! I’m not just talking about physical strength, although that’s certainly part of it. Strength entails practice, and practice allows growth.

Joy, Grace, and Strength to you and yours this year!

It’s beginning to look a lot like… a big mess

It doesn’t feel like the holidays yet. I’ve noticed over the past few years I’m slower to jump into that festive feeling. Still love the season but I’m not so giddy about it, at least not until the week before Christmas.

It’s just as well this year. Since we’re updating the kitchen my usual early December decorating has been pushed back. We’re having new flooring installed this week, the wallpaper below the chair rail still needs to be put up, then there are all the little things.

So the living room is full of stuff. The kitchen table and chairs. The table we use as a desk. Boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations, and the 8 foot iron ornament tree I just bought.

And oh! The print of one of my photos I ordered to hang on the living room wall is here, sitting on one of the tables.

In a day or so the washer & dryer that usually live in the kitchen will have to be moved out the way, too, I guess into the dining room.

I’m out of my comfort zone, big time. But it’s temporary. One way or another, this place has to be straightened up by December 24, when we host a houseload of my beloved in-laws to feast on the seven fishes and assorted goodies. Even if it’s not all done, it’ll at least be festive and warm with a new kitchen floor!

I will buy something from this catalog in gratitude for this awesome image

From the Zingerman’s Holiday Food Catalog :):

Saw Foo Fighters Monday night in Newark (video)

Moon & Wires

(Originally published Feb 28, 2010)
Last night while driving home from the movies I snapped a few quick shots out my window of the full moon through the overhead lines (to be clear, I wasn’t actually driving, I was passengering.)

Of course since I used my iPhone the quality of the photos of a distant white light in the night sky behind dark lines is, well, awful, but I liked the idea of the images.

So this morning, mostly as a way to just clear my head, I opened Photoshop and set about trying to create the image I wished I’d been able to take. A few shapes, a few filters and I’m pretty happy with the way it came out.

Moon and Wires (created in Photoshop)


original photo taken with my iPhone

#snowtober

Chicken Parm Night

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The Kitchen Plan

This is my kitchen. 20111003-160855.jpg
We redecorated about 12 years ago or so. The cabinets were here when we moved in, but we painted the walls & trim, put up new wallpaper, added new Formica countertops & a stick-on vinyl floor. One by one we’ve replaced all appliances except the microwave/stove hood.

We were always happy with the layout. It’s a large room and the center island effectively separates the cooking area from the seating area. The island is a little weird, with its two level layout, but we make it work.

In the intervening years we’ve redecorated the rest of the house. We upgraded two bathrooms, and we added a large master bedroom suite. Add mechanical upgrades, a new roof, a new deck… we’ve been busy.

So now we’ve circled back to the kitchen. In my dreams we tear the whole thing out and start fresh, but in reality the cabinets are sturdy and functional. We just can’t justify the expense of replacing, or even refacing them. My main issue is the laminate facing and color, just too dark.

The countertops are in great shape. Sure, they’re not granite but I still like the blue color and there’s no reason to replace them. The floor, however, has always irritated me. It’s got to go. The trim needs repainting, and the wallpaper is stained and tearing in spots.

That’s the situation- now this is the plan.

Cabinets: We’ve thought of painting them for years, but the amount of work involved in painting laminate cabinets always frightened us off. I recently heard about a new product from Rust-Oleum that eliminates the sanding and priming, so we’re going to give it a try. I’m going with a shade of gray, just not sure which shade yet. New cabinet hardware, too.

Walls: Due to damage, painting the walls would involve either using a paintable wallpaper or rebuilding the large wall with fresh drywall. Besides, if you can’t use fun wallpaper in your kitchen, where could you? So I’m on the hunt for fun wall paper.

Floor: We’ve always planned on some sort of ceramic tile or similar, but lately I’m looking at linoleum (yes! I know!) It’s cheap, green, soft underfoot, easy to install and easy to clean (big one.)

Countertops: Keeping them. I think the gray cabinets will make the blue work even better.

Appliances: They’re mostly pretty new. Would love to replace the black stove & microwave with white to match the rest, though.

Hopefully we can get a fresh looking kitchen for not a lot of money. Time, on the other hand…

If you have any suggestions, hints, stories, I’d love to hear them!

Banana nut bread

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Instagram picture gallery

Images I’ve uploaded with Instagram on my iPhone since I was last here…

Ooh look what just arrived!

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Over the Wall | #trust30

I have some stories to tell, including something that happened nearly thirty years ago, when I crashed and nearly burned into adulthood.

This isn’t that story. But this is why it’s still in my head and not written.

In 1869 there weren't any walls...

Have you ever been to Niagara Falls? They talk of all the people who’ve gone over. Some are adventurers, the ones who go over in barrels. Some arrive at the edge of the falls with the single intention of committing suicide. But there are some who are mesmerized by the water cascading over the edge, down down down, and they simply climb the wall, step into the flow and become part of it. That was me, peering over the wall and being drawn into a possibly deadly current because it seemed easier than looking away.

Fortunately I finally stepped back and made my way up the path that led to the life I was meant to live…

A few years ago someone who was in my life back then, a ghost really, reappeared. Then another. Suddenly I was faced with a river of memories and emotions, and again I peeked over the edge…

This time I just wanted to tell someone, anyone, what had happened so many years ago, how it felt, how it changed me, but the wall (of Self Doubt) grew larger. I made a small crack in it, told a small part of the tale to some very trusted friends, whose reaction built me up and broke down the wall even further. I began to organize my thoughts, even came up with a title and decided to write a fictionalized account to protect people (and have some creative freedom, I mean who can remember conversations from thirty years ago?) but then…

I stopped.

Perfectionist wall replaced Self Doubt wall. I’d held this story in my heart and head for almost thirty years, and if I was finally going to tell it I was going to tell it right, damn it!

So that’s where I stand. Faced with another current on the other side of that wall, this one not deadly, just really, really scary.

Prompt:

The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson says: “Always do what you are afraid to do.” What is ‘too scary’ to write about? Try doing it now.

(Author: Mary Jaksch)

Five Years | #trust30

Dear Five Year Ago Me,

I know you’re stressing about finding a job. Stop. You can’t even imagine what’s going to happen to you over the next few years, and the fact that you remain gainfully unemployed facilitates it. Money will get tight, but you will find a way to make some income and cut back that won’t hurt, too much. So relax.

Don’t get all cocky about the weight you lost last year. Keep eating healthy and develop a regular exercise routine or you will put it all back on… and then some. If you don’t keep eating healthy, at least don’t throw away the too big clothes, because you’ll have to replace them all in a few years.

Don’t be afraid to ask.

Be careful of what you give up to make someone else happy. Be prepared to defend yourself, and it will be ok. Just know it won’t be as easy as it seems.

The parenting thing? You’re doing ok. Keep it up.

The marriage thing? It gets a little bumpy, but don’t panic. Think of it as a thrill ride. Exciting, scary, ever changing and you want to keep going…

The grass isn’t greener. Accept that and go back to tending your own lawn (metaphorically speaking. Feel free to continue ignoring the actual lawn.)

Take the days as they come and don’t worry about having a plan.

Dear Five Years From Now Me,

I guess I could imagine what you’re doing now but I’d probably be wrong.

I expect to be moving… somewhere… right about now. Hopefully health and finances are settled so that the decision on what to do once the kids are grown is based on desire and not unwanted circumstance.

There are things I hope you’ve done. It would be cool if you made boogie boarding in OBX an annual event instead of that thing you did once.

Mostly I hope that you found a strong creative outlet that you love, that you’ve continued to learn and share your knowledge, and you are content with your life, wherever it is.

Prompt:

There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?

(Author: Corbett Barr)

See Heaven | #trust30

I want to see heaven. I want to go where at night I can see stars blanket the sky, where city lights (or suburban lights) don’t drown them out.

I don’t know exactly what that place is. I know there are fewer and fewer options. Maybe I’ll go to Alaska, see the northern lights. Or New Mexico, where I can see natural monuments silhouetted against the sky.

How will I get there, especially since I haven’t really figured out where “there” is? I think the opportunity will find me. The trick (there’s always a trick) will be to recognize that opportunity and grab it.

UPDATE!! Hadn’t considered South Dakota but now I may have to… (hat tip to @benjaminellis)…

Plains Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

Prompt:

If we live truly, we shall see truly. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?

(Author: Chris Guillebeau)

American pinwheel

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How do I get to here… ? | #trust30

Prompt:

That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? . . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don’t feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I’m passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.

(Author: Jenny Blake)

I believe I’ll be moving along… | #trust30

I believe in returning shopping carts to the corral.

I’ve found this prompt difficult, so difficult that it’s now a day later and I got nuthin. Not for a lack of beliefs…

So, the cop-out (yet true answer): I believe it’s ok to cherry-pick. It’s ok to look at the “rules” more as “guidelines” that you don’t necessarily have to follow. It’s ok to take elements from religion, from philosophy, from any discipline, embrace and use what works and makes sense for you, and disregard the rest.

So in that spirit- I’m choosing to move on to the next prompt in this challenge, without really answering this one.

Except I think I just did.

Prompt:

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?

(Author: Buster Benson)

Today | June 1 | #trust30

Today is a day of replenishment…

… starting with the refrigerator.

Today’s prompt:

Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

If ‘the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tracks,’ then it is more genuine to be present today than to recount yesterdays. How would you describe today using only one sentence? Tell today’s sentence to one other person. Repeat each day.

(Author: Liz Danzico)

15 minutes | #trust30

Prompt:
You just discovered you have fifteen minutes to live.

1. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.
2. Write the story that has to be written.

———————————————————–

There was a time, not so long ago, when if I had 15 minutes left in this world I would have panicked and prayed to whomever might be listening. I would have called my husband, rounded up my children, called my parents and probably run out of time somewhere before I got to each of them. I would have ended my life scattered, scared, and despite the attempt to surround myself with those I love- probably alone.

I have 15 minutes. I’m not going to pick up the phone. I’m not going to sit here and type out my wishes for my children. I think by now they know that all I really want for them is happiness and comfort. I’m not going to write a love note to my husband. He knows I love him, I know he loves me. I’m a bit sad because we always said ‘as long as we have each other…’ but he’ll always have me in his heart.

I’m not going to call my mom & dad. I’m not going to reach out to friends.

I’m going to grab my iPod, a tall glass of water, and my dog, Cookie. I’m going to go sit outside on my deck under the gazebo, stretch out on the lounge chair. I’ll pull Cookie up onto my lap, put my earbuds in, and set the iPod to play random songs from my three stars plus playlist. I’ll lay back, maybe take a long sip from my glass. I’ll close my eyes and sing or hum along with whatever songs I’m surrounded by in these last moments. I’ll run my fingers through Cookie’s soft curls and take deep calm breaths and not be afraid.

What I could do in my life I’ve done. I have no more time, I can’t force my desires into this brief moment I have remaining. If I’m meant to continue on to other realms I will, if I’m not I won’t, but I can’t do anything to change that, so I’ll sit here and sigh and think of the ones I love and hope they remember me in joy and laughter and don’t cry too hard or too long.

(more information about #trust30)