Quinoa Salad - Mediterranean style *props to the Silver Palate Basics cookbook, as that was where this started.
1 cup boiling water
2 cups quinoa
boil quinoa 10 minutes, covered
stir in 1/2 cup raisins, cook 5 more minutes, uncovered, until liquid is evaporated
spread quinoa mixture on baking sheet to cool
when cool-to-touch, mix in large bowl with:
1 -2 blood oranges, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 scallions, sliced white - 1" green
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pistachios, unsalted, unroasted
1/4 cup new (fruity) olive oil
2 tsps fresh globe (spicy) basil, shredded
salt & pepper to taste
Serve as a side dish or a luncheon salad. Will keep, covered, several days in fridge.
Grilled meat is very popular here, this side would go well with grilled pork. I think both times we've had this we've eaten it mushroom-stuffed flank steak.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Friday, April 04, 2008
RegGalBlogPals' Friday Five
OMG - I can't believe I am actually playing this week.
Maybe I need another glass of wine before I start to type...
Well, for some reason I can no longer access rgbp, but I'll try to muddle along to the best of my abilities!
The story of the road to Emmaus is one of my favorites in scripture.
How has God revealed him/herself to you in a:
1. Book
Sigh. When was the last time I read a book?! Okay, this might sound weird, but I really, really loved His Dark Materials (the Golden Compass trilogy), and I kept reading pieces of social gospel into the books, especially the second two.
2. Movie
The Last Temptation of Christ was really the first time I watched a movie and felt that it was telling me something. But that was 20 years ago! Surely there have been movies, tv even, that speak God to me now? I don't know. I don't think I am that much of a "watcher." I like to watch to escape!
Actually, I love House, M.D. I think there is amazing insight in the dramatization of a crochety old diagnostician. The last episode we watched was the one where the sick man mirrors the personalities of the doctors helping him. The woman who killed the dog was mirrored as being scared and not knowing what to do. When House asks her what she heard, she says "nothing." Of course she's scared. But that's not going to get in the way of her ministry. At the very end of the episode Hugh Laurie's character tells Omar Epps' that he was the only one who "heard" his persona and did something about it. He's changed. Isn't that the nature of scripture and gospel? We see in these characters people we do/not want to be, we see ourselves, and we see who we can be and turn toward the light. (Yes, influenced by children's church this week which is all about the conversion of Paul!)
3. Song
Lord of All Hopefulness, p. 482 1982 Hymnal Especially verse 3, which I shouldn't even bother to sing, as it makes me cry great big Alice-in-Wonderland tears every time!
4. Another Person
I see Christ in a lot people, particularly people who help me see Christ. Joe, Beatrice, Wylie, Deacon Debi, Father Peter, Bud...
5. Creation
I can't live here and not see the incredible JOY of GOD in creation. Just watching the clouds gives me Joy.
bonus(es): On Easter Sunday I witnessed the power of music to take us place we never thought we could go (again). We belong to a small chapel community with a Presbyterian preacher. He's trying his best, but he is not a liturgical chaplain. As a result, our Easter service had no "Alleluia, He is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed." Nor did we have any alleluias (they weren't missed, no one had to hide them during Lent!) or any of the other aural indicators of Easter. However, we sang "The Day of Resurrection" as our recessional. I turned to look at Beatrice and she had tears just streaming down her face. She came and sat on my lap (my almost-11-year-old) and cried and cried. Oh, how she misses her old church and the power of the organ and her little muscles lifting her voice in prayer. It touched me deeply, to see how much closer to God she is through music.
I would add that there are place in scripture where, over years and years, I have continually found the presence of God:
Hebrews 13 "Be not afraid to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
Micah 6 "and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
And the '79 BCP, particularly Eucharistic Rite II, prayer C
"Open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us. Deliver
us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace
only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for
renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one
body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the
world in his name.
Risen Lord, be known to us in the breaking of the Bread."
Maybe I need another glass of wine before I start to type...
Well, for some reason I can no longer access rgbp, but I'll try to muddle along to the best of my abilities!
The story of the road to Emmaus is one of my favorites in scripture.
How has God revealed him/herself to you in a:
1. Book
Sigh. When was the last time I read a book?! Okay, this might sound weird, but I really, really loved His Dark Materials (the Golden Compass trilogy), and I kept reading pieces of social gospel into the books, especially the second two.
2. Movie
The Last Temptation of Christ was really the first time I watched a movie and felt that it was telling me something. But that was 20 years ago! Surely there have been movies, tv even, that speak God to me now? I don't know. I don't think I am that much of a "watcher." I like to watch to escape!
Actually, I love House, M.D. I think there is amazing insight in the dramatization of a crochety old diagnostician. The last episode we watched was the one where the sick man mirrors the personalities of the doctors helping him. The woman who killed the dog was mirrored as being scared and not knowing what to do. When House asks her what she heard, she says "nothing." Of course she's scared. But that's not going to get in the way of her ministry. At the very end of the episode Hugh Laurie's character tells Omar Epps' that he was the only one who "heard" his persona and did something about it. He's changed. Isn't that the nature of scripture and gospel? We see in these characters people we do/not want to be, we see ourselves, and we see who we can be and turn toward the light. (Yes, influenced by children's church this week which is all about the conversion of Paul!)
3. Song
Lord of All Hopefulness, p. 482 1982 Hymnal Especially verse 3, which I shouldn't even bother to sing, as it makes me cry great big Alice-in-Wonderland tears every time!
4. Another Person
I see Christ in a lot people, particularly people who help me see Christ. Joe, Beatrice, Wylie, Deacon Debi, Father Peter, Bud...
5. Creation
I can't live here and not see the incredible JOY of GOD in creation. Just watching the clouds gives me Joy.
bonus(es): On Easter Sunday I witnessed the power of music to take us place we never thought we could go (again). We belong to a small chapel community with a Presbyterian preacher. He's trying his best, but he is not a liturgical chaplain. As a result, our Easter service had no "Alleluia, He is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed." Nor did we have any alleluias (they weren't missed, no one had to hide them during Lent!) or any of the other aural indicators of Easter. However, we sang "The Day of Resurrection" as our recessional. I turned to look at Beatrice and she had tears just streaming down her face. She came and sat on my lap (my almost-11-year-old) and cried and cried. Oh, how she misses her old church and the power of the organ and her little muscles lifting her voice in prayer. It touched me deeply, to see how much closer to God she is through music.
I would add that there are place in scripture where, over years and years, I have continually found the presence of God:
Hebrews 13 "Be not afraid to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
Micah 6 "and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
And the '79 BCP, particularly Eucharistic Rite II, prayer C
"Open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us. Deliver
us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace
only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for
renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one
body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the
world in his name.
Risen Lord, be known to us in the breaking of the Bread."
Monday, March 31, 2008
finally, feeling privileged
Actually, I always feel my privilege.
**Do you know when you type "privilege" more than two time in a row, it loses all sense of a word - there's too many i's or something. Which prompted me to look it up:
privilege (n): ME from the OF fr L privilegium - law for or against a private person: a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor.
privileged (adj): 1) having or enjoying one or more privileges (~ classes) 2) not subject to the usual rules or penalties because of some special circumstances
Right here we see the effects of privilege. The very use, putting aside understanding, of a dictionary connotes a level of education that is only attained with privilege.
I had no idea it was such a legalistic word, although "rights and privileges" is a legal phrase.
From the older form of the word, when we say we are privileged, it means we take on the immunity granted to our socio-economic class. This fits well with underlying assumption taken on in sociology of education, that regardless of where you start, your education will lift you to the privileged ranks. Education (in the United States) is more than book-learning, it has a lot to do with fitting in to the class system. In many ways, education white-washes all of us, even those who did not start out bland or those who try to chafe against their education.
Anyway, on to that meme:
From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.
1. Father went to college *not only was going to college non-negotiable, 80% of my high school went on to 4-year college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
6. Were in the same or higher class than your high school teachers
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home (I had more than 50 books in my childhood room!)
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
9. Were read children's books by a parent (all the way through high school, baby!)
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (it's taken me a while to parse this sentence, but yes, of course!)
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18* this is one of those questions that is generational more than indicative of class, I think. We just didn't USE credit cards. But my mom let me use hers if I needed to. That is privilege!
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs *another caveat, while I am sure that my parents would have been able to pay for a lot of my college costs, I cannot be sure of this. A trust did pay for my college, thank God, but it was the payout from my father's life insurance/social security benefits.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs. *technically, no, as I had to work to pay for many of my books and all of my clothes and "fun" stuff - like getting home for breaks!
16. You went to a private high school *no, because the public high school was better than most private schools. I think if I had wanted to, I could have gone
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels *no, but doesn't "family vacation" connote privilege? Even more, we "summered" somewhere. Talk about a word loaded with privilege!
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them (car?! what car?!)
22. There was original art in your home as a child
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18 (see above #13)
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school (see above #13)
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college (see above #14)
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up *I am willing to agree that this connotes privilege, however, museums were free when I was little, so it was cheap entertainment
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
I find it interesting that no one is able to do this without commenting or caveats. Clearly, we all feel guilt/pressure/unease when it comes to class/privilege/money
**Do you know when you type "privilege" more than two time in a row, it loses all sense of a word - there's too many i's or something. Which prompted me to look it up:
privilege (n): ME from the OF fr L privilegium - law for or against a private person: a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor.
privileged (adj): 1) having or enjoying one or more privileges (~ classes) 2) not subject to the usual rules or penalties because of some special circumstances
Right here we see the effects of privilege. The very use, putting aside understanding, of a dictionary connotes a level of education that is only attained with privilege.
I had no idea it was such a legalistic word, although "rights and privileges" is a legal phrase.
From the older form of the word, when we say we are privileged, it means we take on the immunity granted to our socio-economic class. This fits well with underlying assumption taken on in sociology of education, that regardless of where you start, your education will lift you to the privileged ranks. Education (in the United States) is more than book-learning, it has a lot to do with fitting in to the class system. In many ways, education white-washes all of us, even those who did not start out bland or those who try to chafe against their education.
Anyway, on to that meme:
From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.
1. Father went to college *not only was going to college non-negotiable, 80% of my high school went on to 4-year college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
6. Were in the same or higher class than your high school teachers
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home (I had more than 50 books in my childhood room!)
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
9. Were read children's books by a parent (all the way through high school, baby!)
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (it's taken me a while to parse this sentence, but yes, of course!)
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18* this is one of those questions that is generational more than indicative of class, I think. We just didn't USE credit cards. But my mom let me use hers if I needed to. That is privilege!
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs *another caveat, while I am sure that my parents would have been able to pay for a lot of my college costs, I cannot be sure of this. A trust did pay for my college, thank God, but it was the payout from my father's life insurance/social security benefits.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs. *technically, no, as I had to work to pay for many of my books and all of my clothes and "fun" stuff - like getting home for breaks!
16. You went to a private high school *no, because the public high school was better than most private schools. I think if I had wanted to, I could have gone
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels *no, but doesn't "family vacation" connote privilege? Even more, we "summered" somewhere. Talk about a word loaded with privilege!
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them (car?! what car?!)
22. There was original art in your home as a child
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18 (see above #13)
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school (see above #13)
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college (see above #14)
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up *I am willing to agree that this connotes privilege, however, museums were free when I was little, so it was cheap entertainment
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
I find it interesting that no one is able to do this without commenting or caveats. Clearly, we all feel guilt/pressure/unease when it comes to class/privilege/money
Friday, March 28, 2008
It's just a flesh wound...
Something needs to be written!
I'm playing with Sunday's lectionary readings, Thomas and the need to "see it to believe it."
The chapel service I attend is led by a Calvinist. We hear a lot about sin and, well, sin. (Even on Easter. Thank God for ministers who posted their Easter joy online!) More than wishing I could hear less about sin and more about grace, I miss the style of sermon that asks us to look at the text as our own. I miss hearing personal stories that link the text to real life, and then encourage us to search for our own connections.
I won't hear the Calvinist preach this Sunday, but I am fairly certain I'd be hearing about faith saving us. That we MUST believe, it's our only hope. Yup, I get that.
That's not what I'd preach on.
I think I'd mention that there's not a lot of admonition. Thomas' need to see and touch (sound like a psalm, anyone?) doesn't damn him. Jesus chides, but welcomes, too. He allows for Thomas' questions and then moves on. We need Thomas, he's like us. We're not Peter, jumping in feet first, not looking for the stump in the shallows. We're not Mary, so relieved that love lives again we see the man and not the divine. We want to weigh, we want to think, we need a little time. (Could that be part of Thomas' "problem"? He wasn't there to begin with; he had time to think.)
John ends the interaction with Jesus' words "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." And then the Gospel writer tells us that he has written this down so that we, without seeing, may believe and have life in His name.
Thomas is our foil: Thomas, an ordinary, after-the-fact believer has "seen and believed" and now we can believe, too.
I find it interesting that Thomas' role in Christian mythology continues after his Johannine encounter with Christ. His Gospel offers another view on Christ; people read his account and know that he wasn't one of the codified, and yet it tells the same story. Thomas was the apostle who carried the Good News to India, where there are still Thomasine churches. The Church in South India is one of the most varied and cohesive multi-denominational groups today. Peter's church has rigid lines of belief and unbelief. Thomas' is fluid and encompassing.
So, if I were preaching, that's where I'd start.
But that's not all that I see in this story. I see a shift in culture and the culture of belief. I wish I knew more Millenial preachers, as I think my viewpoint is on the younger side. The traditional read on Doubting Thomas is that we need to move out of our comfort zone - we should not need to see to believe.
As the United States has always been a "See it to believe it" kind of place. Doubting Thomas "works" for us. We need to hold, touch, talk, be WITH. We're consumers, we like to hold on to something. Even charitable donations, require a gift, a letter, some tangible sign that we've reached out. Along with our need to hold on to stuff, Americans are reserved. Combining reserve with seeing and believing, we've created a working system that rewards knowing people. We believe in codified belief-systems and institutions. Knowing where someone comes from, which schools, which company, which church...Old Boy Networks work because their world views were similar. There's not that much of stretch between the 3 Presidents who went to Yale. Clinton and Bush were members of the same secret society there. The general beliefs are the same, because the institutions are the same. (This is Thomas - we see ourselves in him, so it's okay to believe in his belief.)
Here's the culture shift: and like my Easter Joy, it comes from the Web.
I don't believe we, these younger generations, need to see to believe. We live in a very connected world, but our connections are through faith, not physicality.
Only a few years ago, it was important to delineate between "real life" friends (IRL) and on line friends. I don't hear that as much anymore. Just last month I asked a favor of an on-line friend I'd never met before, asking her to help another friend, one from down the street, find a new home in her area. In that transaction, there was no difference between believing in someone I could shake hands with and one I texted.
Several months ago, 60 Minutes did an interview with Mark Zuckerberg. The Boomer-something interviewer is clearly of the "see and believe" mentality. I could hear in her voice the disbelief in social networking. "A waste of time." "This is made for alumnae, but you didn't even graduate from Harvard." Both lines, that social networking might be a waste of time and that where you graduated from is of importance to who you are, imply the need to be concrete. They are Thomasine. Now, I am not saying that anyone else in Jesus' posse was any less concrete. They were all physically present with Jesus in his ministry and, at one point or another, his resurrection.
(Interesting, isn't it, that the person who spread the Gospel the furthest wasn't there at all? He's that outer link on the Friend Wheel, the one with his own massive wheel.)
If this culture shift is true, that who we are and what we believe is sufficient, without "old school" connections, without the need to see to believe, what does that mean for Thomas? In a new paradigm, where does Thomas stand? If we don't need him to touch for us, what do we need Thomas for?
Like Mary Magdalene last week, this is a story of ASKING FOR and RECEIVING FROM Jesus. 2000 years ago, Jesus' answer explained our generation's status: We are blessed to not have to see to believe. We can do it, and Jesus knew we'd get here. But Thomas' searching allows to keep searching, too. Those small questions of Thomas' led him to India, to a church which encompases many different ways of acting on Truth.
For today, let us recognize ourselves in Thomas: brave enough to ask for what we need and strong enough to carry it on to others.
I'm playing with Sunday's lectionary readings, Thomas and the need to "see it to believe it."
The chapel service I attend is led by a Calvinist. We hear a lot about sin and, well, sin. (Even on Easter. Thank God for ministers who posted their Easter joy online!) More than wishing I could hear less about sin and more about grace, I miss the style of sermon that asks us to look at the text as our own. I miss hearing personal stories that link the text to real life, and then encourage us to search for our own connections.
I won't hear the Calvinist preach this Sunday, but I am fairly certain I'd be hearing about faith saving us. That we MUST believe, it's our only hope. Yup, I get that.
That's not what I'd preach on.
I think I'd mention that there's not a lot of admonition. Thomas' need to see and touch (sound like a psalm, anyone?) doesn't damn him. Jesus chides, but welcomes, too. He allows for Thomas' questions and then moves on. We need Thomas, he's like us. We're not Peter, jumping in feet first, not looking for the stump in the shallows. We're not Mary, so relieved that love lives again we see the man and not the divine. We want to weigh, we want to think, we need a little time. (Could that be part of Thomas' "problem"? He wasn't there to begin with; he had time to think.)
John ends the interaction with Jesus' words "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." And then the Gospel writer tells us that he has written this down so that we, without seeing, may believe and have life in His name.
Thomas is our foil: Thomas, an ordinary, after-the-fact believer has "seen and believed" and now we can believe, too.
I find it interesting that Thomas' role in Christian mythology continues after his Johannine encounter with Christ. His Gospel offers another view on Christ; people read his account and know that he wasn't one of the codified, and yet it tells the same story. Thomas was the apostle who carried the Good News to India, where there are still Thomasine churches. The Church in South India is one of the most varied and cohesive multi-denominational groups today. Peter's church has rigid lines of belief and unbelief. Thomas' is fluid and encompassing.
So, if I were preaching, that's where I'd start.
But that's not all that I see in this story. I see a shift in culture and the culture of belief. I wish I knew more Millenial preachers, as I think my viewpoint is on the younger side. The traditional read on Doubting Thomas is that we need to move out of our comfort zone - we should not need to see to believe.
As the United States has always been a "See it to believe it" kind of place. Doubting Thomas "works" for us. We need to hold, touch, talk, be WITH. We're consumers, we like to hold on to something. Even charitable donations, require a gift, a letter, some tangible sign that we've reached out. Along with our need to hold on to stuff, Americans are reserved. Combining reserve with seeing and believing, we've created a working system that rewards knowing people. We believe in codified belief-systems and institutions. Knowing where someone comes from, which schools, which company, which church...Old Boy Networks work because their world views were similar. There's not that much of stretch between the 3 Presidents who went to Yale. Clinton and Bush were members of the same secret society there. The general beliefs are the same, because the institutions are the same. (This is Thomas - we see ourselves in him, so it's okay to believe in his belief.)
Here's the culture shift: and like my Easter Joy, it comes from the Web.
I don't believe we, these younger generations, need to see to believe. We live in a very connected world, but our connections are through faith, not physicality.
Only a few years ago, it was important to delineate between "real life" friends (IRL) and on line friends. I don't hear that as much anymore. Just last month I asked a favor of an on-line friend I'd never met before, asking her to help another friend, one from down the street, find a new home in her area. In that transaction, there was no difference between believing in someone I could shake hands with and one I texted.
Several months ago, 60 Minutes did an interview with Mark Zuckerberg. The Boomer-something interviewer is clearly of the "see and believe" mentality. I could hear in her voice the disbelief in social networking. "A waste of time." "This is made for alumnae, but you didn't even graduate from Harvard." Both lines, that social networking might be a waste of time and that where you graduated from is of importance to who you are, imply the need to be concrete. They are Thomasine. Now, I am not saying that anyone else in Jesus' posse was any less concrete. They were all physically present with Jesus in his ministry and, at one point or another, his resurrection.
(Interesting, isn't it, that the person who spread the Gospel the furthest wasn't there at all? He's that outer link on the Friend Wheel, the one with his own massive wheel.)
If this culture shift is true, that who we are and what we believe is sufficient, without "old school" connections, without the need to see to believe, what does that mean for Thomas? In a new paradigm, where does Thomas stand? If we don't need him to touch for us, what do we need Thomas for?
Like Mary Magdalene last week, this is a story of ASKING FOR and RECEIVING FROM Jesus. 2000 years ago, Jesus' answer explained our generation's status: We are blessed to not have to see to believe. We can do it, and Jesus knew we'd get here. But Thomas' searching allows to keep searching, too. Those small questions of Thomas' led him to India, to a church which encompases many different ways of acting on Truth.
For today, let us recognize ourselves in Thomas: brave enough to ask for what we need and strong enough to carry it on to others.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Holy Crap!!
It hit me as I drove home from running errands this morning...the movers are coming on Monday. All along I've bee saying "yeah, yeah, they'll pack it all up and move it all out, no biggie."
But that's not quite the whole story, is it?
Of course not. That doesn't include this afternoon's foray into party stuff for B's birthday party. Or tomorrow's activities that appear to be running on late into the night. Or the birthday party on Saturday. Or that both my mom and sister will be here for part of it and most likely stay a while. Or church on Sunday, when the kids are singing, B is reading and W is receiving his cotta...
Moves aren't really that big a deal. And moving to Sicily isn't really any different than moving to California.
Except that we have fully 2/3rds of our household goods going into long-term storage, and that means dancing with furniture and watching the movers so that they don't pack up something we really don't want.
I'd like to sigh, but my chest is too tight.
Guess I just need to power on through!
And pray!
But that's not quite the whole story, is it?
Of course not. That doesn't include this afternoon's foray into party stuff for B's birthday party. Or tomorrow's activities that appear to be running on late into the night. Or the birthday party on Saturday. Or that both my mom and sister will be here for part of it and most likely stay a while. Or church on Sunday, when the kids are singing, B is reading and W is receiving his cotta...
Moves aren't really that big a deal. And moving to Sicily isn't really any different than moving to California.
Except that we have fully 2/3rds of our household goods going into long-term storage, and that means dancing with furniture and watching the movers so that they don't pack up something we really don't want.
I'd like to sigh, but my chest is too tight.
Guess I just need to power on through!
And pray!
Monday, May 21, 2007
What Shrek the Third has taught me
And all that I refuse to learn...
The heavy-handed lesson from S/3rd is that people will label you what they will, but it's only true if you let it be. Shrek is an ogre, but he doesn't need to be an ugly, mean monster. Artie does his own thing, but he's only a loser if he doesn't believe in himself. Sort of Eleanor Roosevelt's "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent," dressed up for a modern audience.
This is a lesson that I insist on. In college I repeated like a mantra that I was there to learn all I could, not necessarily to earn the best grade that I could. I taped Eleanor's words to my desk as I wrote my thesis. I tell it to my kids. I fiercely believe that I am doing what is right for me.
But I can only believe it for so long.
Once a quarter the Alumnae Bulletin finds it's way to my mailbox. Inevitably, I put aside everything else and turn to the class notes. I am fixated on all that these incredibly industrious women do with their time and talent. And I begin to shrink inside of myself. Have I made poor choices? What am I doing here, a stay-at-home mom with too much education? It's not even that I want my achievements posted; at that moment, I can't see any achievements. I can't ask myself if someone would be interested in my lessons from the mom-front. I jump too quickly to castigation: Why am I not in there, tearing up the world doing...something!
That day came last week and I did not feel quite as badly as I read about the doings of the class of '93. I think that's because there really wasn't that much to tell. I am irritated that my notes, the notes I dutifully typed up, painfully reviewed (gosh, I hope my life of volunteer work and homemade bread doesn't sound too dumb), and sent it, didn't get published. But I gave myself a pat on the back that I wasn't letting others' achievements bring me down.
My college classmates are more and more in my position: they have kids, they stay at home, they rely more on their partner's involvement than previously, they are tired, frustrated, and grouchy. I have less to feel bad about; I know those feelings intimately. I even give advice. More than one friend has called me in a panic when their child has been chastised in preschool. They know I've been there and survived. It's a twisted point of pride in our family: there is no way that their kid could be as bad as W was - only he has been kicked out!
So why I am typing this?
By 8:15 this morning, I had checked Joe's haircut and his exam; fed, lunched, and put on the bus both kids; done the dishes and started a load of laundry. Cup of coffee beside me, I proceeded to the read the blogs on my list. There are a few cooking pages, but mostly I read church-y stuff: the news, the hype, the analysis (who says being Episcopalian is dull?!) and the endless list of women-in-religion blogs.
And it hit me. These women, women whom I respect, applaud, and hold up in prayer, feed that inner ogre. I couldn't read very far this morning before I started to hit myself about the shoulders: why don't I write like this; if only I were ordained; everyone else is at the party but me...
Here's the truth.
My path is different. I have never done things the way others do, whether by forethought or by circumstance. I hold up the edges for others: I am a mom who reads the news and talks about it with her kids; I am the mom who has taught her kids to cook; I am the woman who has already been there when it comes to contraception, marriage, babies, children. Because I believe that education is in the learning, whether I get an A+ or not, I am easy-going.
If I feel I am the only one walking, it doesn't mean the path isn't true.
I've spent a lot of this year being quiet, staying small. I think it's time to reclaim my status as trail marker. Not trailblazer: I follow other people. I just want others to know that we can get there, too.
The heavy-handed lesson from S/3rd is that people will label you what they will, but it's only true if you let it be. Shrek is an ogre, but he doesn't need to be an ugly, mean monster. Artie does his own thing, but he's only a loser if he doesn't believe in himself. Sort of Eleanor Roosevelt's "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent," dressed up for a modern audience.
This is a lesson that I insist on. In college I repeated like a mantra that I was there to learn all I could, not necessarily to earn the best grade that I could. I taped Eleanor's words to my desk as I wrote my thesis. I tell it to my kids. I fiercely believe that I am doing what is right for me.
But I can only believe it for so long.
Once a quarter the Alumnae Bulletin finds it's way to my mailbox. Inevitably, I put aside everything else and turn to the class notes. I am fixated on all that these incredibly industrious women do with their time and talent. And I begin to shrink inside of myself. Have I made poor choices? What am I doing here, a stay-at-home mom with too much education? It's not even that I want my achievements posted; at that moment, I can't see any achievements. I can't ask myself if someone would be interested in my lessons from the mom-front. I jump too quickly to castigation: Why am I not in there, tearing up the world doing...something!
That day came last week and I did not feel quite as badly as I read about the doings of the class of '93. I think that's because there really wasn't that much to tell. I am irritated that my notes, the notes I dutifully typed up, painfully reviewed (gosh, I hope my life of volunteer work and homemade bread doesn't sound too dumb), and sent it, didn't get published. But I gave myself a pat on the back that I wasn't letting others' achievements bring me down.
My college classmates are more and more in my position: they have kids, they stay at home, they rely more on their partner's involvement than previously, they are tired, frustrated, and grouchy. I have less to feel bad about; I know those feelings intimately. I even give advice. More than one friend has called me in a panic when their child has been chastised in preschool. They know I've been there and survived. It's a twisted point of pride in our family: there is no way that their kid could be as bad as W was - only he has been kicked out!
So why I am typing this?
By 8:15 this morning, I had checked Joe's haircut and his exam; fed, lunched, and put on the bus both kids; done the dishes and started a load of laundry. Cup of coffee beside me, I proceeded to the read the blogs on my list. There are a few cooking pages, but mostly I read church-y stuff: the news, the hype, the analysis (who says being Episcopalian is dull?!) and the endless list of women-in-religion blogs.
And it hit me. These women, women whom I respect, applaud, and hold up in prayer, feed that inner ogre. I couldn't read very far this morning before I started to hit myself about the shoulders: why don't I write like this; if only I were ordained; everyone else is at the party but me...
Here's the truth.
My path is different. I have never done things the way others do, whether by forethought or by circumstance. I hold up the edges for others: I am a mom who reads the news and talks about it with her kids; I am the mom who has taught her kids to cook; I am the woman who has already been there when it comes to contraception, marriage, babies, children. Because I believe that education is in the learning, whether I get an A+ or not, I am easy-going.
If I feel I am the only one walking, it doesn't mean the path isn't true.
I've spent a lot of this year being quiet, staying small. I think it's time to reclaim my status as trail marker. Not trailblazer: I follow other people. I just want others to know that we can get there, too.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Oh, Happy Day!
Harvard's new president is a Bryn Mawr Alumn.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/education/12harvard.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Is there anything women can not do?
And, my favorite quote of the week, from another rockin' woman, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori "Life is too short to get too flustered."
I just wish I could remember that more frequently!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/education/12harvard.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Is there anything women can not do?
And, my favorite quote of the week, from another rockin' woman, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori "Life is too short to get too flustered."
I just wish I could remember that more frequently!
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Breaking News - redeemed
Diana Butler Bass has a wonderful essay on Anna Nicole Smith and our commitment to see the face of Jesus in everyone, per our Baptismal Covenant.
Thanks to Rick Lord at World of Your Making!
Thanks to Rick Lord at World of Your Making!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Breaking News
First, I am on the "new" blogger - courtesy of my gmail. How fancy-schmancy.
But my inspiration for changing over was due to other "breaking news" and a gripe I have had for a few weeks now.
Is the death of Anna Nicole Smith BREAKING NEWS?!
This is not the first time msnbc.com has headlined a minor incident. And even NPR got into the act yesterday when they (albeit briefly) noted the psychotic break of Lisa Nowak. Good grief, the poor woman was clearly out of her senses, is that worthy of the national news?
I now take on, as my duty, pointing out when we are being unduly assaulted by BREAKING NEWS.
Now back to the happy-happy joy-joy of google-driven blogging.
But my inspiration for changing over was due to other "breaking news" and a gripe I have had for a few weeks now.
Is the death of Anna Nicole Smith BREAKING NEWS?!
This is not the first time msnbc.com has headlined a minor incident. And even NPR got into the act yesterday when they (albeit briefly) noted the psychotic break of Lisa Nowak. Good grief, the poor woman was clearly out of her senses, is that worthy of the national news?
I now take on, as my duty, pointing out when we are being unduly assaulted by BREAKING NEWS.
Now back to the happy-happy joy-joy of google-driven blogging.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Eve of St Brigid
I wish I had the skill of giving things away. Instead, I seem to pile them up.
Tonight it is cookies, 100 extra-large chocolate chip and 88 extra-large sugar cookies.
Why did I say I would provide the cookies for Grandparents' lunch?
Tonight it is cookies, 100 extra-large chocolate chip and 88 extra-large sugar cookies.
Why did I say I would provide the cookies for Grandparents' lunch?
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Another month?
No, another Church year.
I promise to get my blogging butt in gear and actually write something.
Really.
Truly.
Later - it's time for pancakes at church.
I promise to get my blogging butt in gear and actually write something.
Really.
Truly.
Later - it's time for pancakes at church.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
someone has to speak
I keep looking for chatter regarding yesterday's election. Not the people losing power or gaining power. Not the switch from moderate Republicans to conservative Democrats. Not referenda on abortion, the lives of pigs, or constitutional changes. These are all issues that will be played out on the big screen of our common life in the weeks and months to come.
What I wanted to hear is more immediate, and more pressing. What I want to hear, I caught out of the side of my ear while on the way home last night: this election, up to the moment of polling, cost $1.4 billion.
How many vaccines could we provide?
How many children could we educate?
How many innovative and incredible ideas could we foster?
So I am waiting for the chatter, and I haven't heard it.
What I wanted to hear is more immediate, and more pressing. What I want to hear, I caught out of the side of my ear while on the way home last night: this election, up to the moment of polling, cost $1.4 billion.
How many vaccines could we provide?
How many children could we educate?
How many innovative and incredible ideas could we foster?
So I am waiting for the chatter, and I haven't heard it.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
The Mitre Makes the Outfit
I spent Saturday at a discernment retreat. At first I was bummed that I would miss the webcast of the investiture of our new Presiding Bishop, Katharine. It turned out to be the perfect place to watch. A group of younger people and a lot of women, who better to watch with?
There was lots of color, lots of movement, lots of singing, lots of voices. The celebrants wore yellow. The liturgical dancers were amazing. The next time someone complains, I am going to send them over to the Omega Liturgical Dancers at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC. They truly enhanced the liturgy.
I was relieved to see ++Katharine smiling during the sprinkling of the waters of baptism. I pray that she will continue to see God's grace during her tenure.
What I loved best was her mitre. It was hope-filled, colorful, and inviting, just as I see the Episcopal Church. I hope she continues to wear it and that we, the sheep of her flock, continue to see the Joy made manifest in this body of Christ, the Episcopal Church.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
14% fat
Years ago, I worked at an ice cream shop, the Vermont Creamery. No, not the Newport Creamery, that's a chain famous for coffee cabinets called Awful Awfuls. The Vermont Creamery was an independent ice cream shop in Concord, Mass. Like most employers of teenagers, it was a terrible place to work but it taught great lessons. One was "always put the cream in the coffee first." 20 years later and I am still a slave to milk-on-the-bottom coffee. I also have great compassion for other ice cream scoopers. Hard ice cream can pop tendons. I learned how to make real whipped cream (regardless of how close to closing up, we were required to offer freshly whipped cream for sundaes, is it any wonder the shop closed?). I learned how to mop, how to clean coffee carafes, how to make change and balance a register at the end of the day. I also learned that the customer is not always right. I did my best not to argue with the man who insisted that our pistachio was not really pistachio (without ever tasting it) because it wasn't green. Finally, I offered to direct him to the Brigham's down the street, where their pistachio was as green as the colorant could make it.At some point in my ice cream career I decided it was better to work in the kitchen than face more touristy customers. I loved that kitchen. It most likely wasn't as clean as it should be, but it was spacious and tidy. Most of the space was taken up by a worktable and an enormous ice cream mixer. The walk-in freezers and fridge took up most of the space. I rode my bike to work most summer days and made sure I arrived early so that I could stand in the freezer for a few moments before starting work. The guy who made ice cream when I first started was the emperor of the kitchen. I had to stand at the door and ask for what I wanted. Not only was he the only one, other than the owner, to make the ice cream, he (was his name Andy?) was the only one allowed in the freezer to pick up the 10 gallon buckets to take upstairs. The rumor: he made gin and tonics in those buckets, labeled innocuously "vanilla" and delicious in a whole 'nother way. The rumor was true, and the drinks were great, far more refreshing than merely standing in the coolers
The ice cream dude left and the owner had to find other folks to make ice cream, pour molds of ice cream cake, scoop cookies, and muffins, and later make salads and sandwiches. I loved being in the kitchen. We never actually "made" the baked goods; they were scooped from buckets much like ice cream. And I don't think I was terribly successful at salads (I distinctly remember slicing through my fingertip with the spinach)...but ice cream was fun. Upon being hired, the owner went through a litany of ice cream: what ours was and wasn't (homemade, all-natural, no colorants...), and how the fat content compared to Brigham's (11%), Hagan Daz (15%), and Ben & Jerry's, at that moment as small, Vermont-only company. The owner's uncle lived in Vermont and as new employees, we were all required to taste the coveted Guys From Vermont's wares.
Yum, a perfect 14% butterfat.
14% has the perfect mouth feel. It glides without coating. You can be satisfied with a tiny scoop (the diet sundae) but not be overwhelmed if you inadvertently eat the whole pint. It makes a delicious vanilla, but carries other flavors well.
We also had a small paperback book from Ben & Jerry's, now widely available, that had their basic ice cream recipes. The ice cream makers at Vermont Creamery had a lot of fun making up new and exciting recipes. Like B&J's, ours had funny little names that were oh-so-apropos. Most of them were flops, or lasted only a few weeks - the run of a batch. My favorite was a delightful little ditty I called Moose Tracks: milk chocolate, white chocolate, whipped cream, and grape nuts cereal.
Imagine my delight when our Vermont vacation took us right past the Ben & Jerry's factory!! Heedless of the dire distress 14% would cause the dairy-allergic in our family, we HAD to go. 14% is alive and well in our lives once again.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
3-Layer Outrage, Better with Age
Cook's note:
This is quite rich and you might need to schedule some time with the punching bag or go for a run after ingesting.
This morning's settling of the Rep. Foley stew includes, yes, you guessed it:
1) Under the influence of alcohol.
When baking, the alcohol burns off but the flavor remains. Could that explain why after more than a year, the good Rep. didn't every apologize directly to his prey?
2) Gay.
Big whoop. So are a lot of people. Do you see them acting in this manner?
And, yes, the pressure to stand up under the weight of "speak for all of them" could drive you to drink, but drinking doesn't take away your responsibilities, see above.
3) Molested as a child by his priest.
Good Lord! Do you think this dish tastes better piled this high?
But, of course, he does not blame his actions on any of this. He just wants us to know.
**annotated: NPR has a small piece on their website re: girl pages and the sexual misconduct of congressional members
This is quite rich and you might need to schedule some time with the punching bag or go for a run after ingesting.
This morning's settling of the Rep. Foley stew includes, yes, you guessed it:
1) Under the influence of alcohol.
When baking, the alcohol burns off but the flavor remains. Could that explain why after more than a year, the good Rep. didn't every apologize directly to his prey?
2) Gay.
Big whoop. So are a lot of people. Do you see them acting in this manner?
And, yes, the pressure to stand up under the weight of "speak for all of them" could drive you to drink, but drinking doesn't take away your responsibilities, see above.
3) Molested as a child by his priest.
Good Lord! Do you think this dish tastes better piled this high?
But, of course, he does not blame his actions on any of this. He just wants us to know.
**annotated: NPR has a small piece on their website re: girl pages and the sexual misconduct of congressional members
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
3-Layer Outrage, Simmered
1) A man accused of inappropriate attention to teenagers is allowed to continue without reprimand.
Yesterday I heard that no one had done so because they felt it was a delicate balance between "accusing" him of being gay and accusing him of inappropriate communication.
2) This man is declares he has a drinking problem.
Fine, drink away. But claim your repsonsibility. There are a lot of alchoholics out there who do NOT cross sexual boundries with teenagers. Teenagers, by the way, who work for him. That would be another boundry, would it no?
3) Every news report to which I have listened or read, including the liberal press, has repeated this story as though pages were only young men.
Yes, Rep. Foley, most likely gay, only approached the male population.
I'd like someone to ask the girl pages how often they'd been inappropriatly approached.
This is not a gay issue.
This is not an alcoholic's issue.
This is INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, simmering in a culture of power and prestige.
Yesterday I heard that no one had done so because they felt it was a delicate balance between "accusing" him of being gay and accusing him of inappropriate communication.
2) This man is declares he has a drinking problem.
Fine, drink away. But claim your repsonsibility. There are a lot of alchoholics out there who do NOT cross sexual boundries with teenagers. Teenagers, by the way, who work for him. That would be another boundry, would it no?
3) Every news report to which I have listened or read, including the liberal press, has repeated this story as though pages were only young men.
Yes, Rep. Foley, most likely gay, only approached the male population.
I'd like someone to ask the girl pages how often they'd been inappropriatly approached.
This is not a gay issue.
This is not an alcoholic's issue.
This is INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR, simmering in a culture of power and prestige.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Where is the love?
Apparently, I have had a bad case of the blogging blahs.
My apologies.
I did just discover a fabulous blog - because being called by God does not mean you can't also be called by your MaryKay lady.
Truthfully, I have been too involved in back-to-school (x3, as J is also in school) to cook much and too involved in the Annual Fund to think much.
*sigh*
One can only hope that my brain opens up and I go back to writing.
My apologies.
I did just discover a fabulous blog - because being called by God does not mean you can't also be called by your MaryKay lady.
Truthfully, I have been too involved in back-to-school (x3, as J is also in school) to cook much and too involved in the Annual Fund to think much.
*sigh*
One can only hope that my brain opens up and I go back to writing.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
too hot for pie?
Never!
I'll admit it's been hot. Stick-to-your-seat hot. But if your skin already has a sheen to it, why not really get busy?
So I've been in the kitchen with pastry.
The first pie was for dinner on Tuesday night. It was "whatever pie." Perhaps not what to have when you've got first-time guests? It should have been delicious: peaches, rhubarb, and brown sugar in a double-crust glazed with milk and sprinkled with sparkly sugar. But it wasn't. Well, not for dinner. It makes fabulous breakfast pie.
The second pie was blueberry. The blues were bland, but they held their shape remarkably well. Far better, in fact, than the crust. It's not the heat, it's the melting point of butter. My lattice kept slipping. So I kept sticking it back in the freezer. And then it would crack. And then it would slip...you get the idea. I tried not to work it too much, so it looked fairly ridiculous. A giant blob of dough melted before it got blasted in the oven, so the pie looked as though it had a goiter. I can say it was a good-tasting goiter :)
The raspberries are looking good...but biscuits are sounding good, too. Is it too hot to fry up some bacon?
I'll admit it's been hot. Stick-to-your-seat hot. But if your skin already has a sheen to it, why not really get busy?
So I've been in the kitchen with pastry.
The first pie was for dinner on Tuesday night. It was "whatever pie." Perhaps not what to have when you've got first-time guests? It should have been delicious: peaches, rhubarb, and brown sugar in a double-crust glazed with milk and sprinkled with sparkly sugar. But it wasn't. Well, not for dinner. It makes fabulous breakfast pie.
The second pie was blueberry. The blues were bland, but they held their shape remarkably well. Far better, in fact, than the crust. It's not the heat, it's the melting point of butter. My lattice kept slipping. So I kept sticking it back in the freezer. And then it would crack. And then it would slip...you get the idea. I tried not to work it too much, so it looked fairly ridiculous. A giant blob of dough melted before it got blasted in the oven, so the pie looked as though it had a goiter. I can say it was a good-tasting goiter :)
The raspberries are looking good...but biscuits are sounding good, too. Is it too hot to fry up some bacon?
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Saturday, June 10, 2006
In Memorium
Emmanuel Church, Newport, celebrated the sparky life of Frannie Minifie this morning. Frannie sat on the other side of the aisle, a few pews down. I could see her whispy white hair when I turned to hear the Gospel. Mostly, I tried to keep Wylie's high energy legs and arms from her fragile hands and cane. Two Sundays ago she was in the hospital, last Sunday she was gone and today, Saturday, we laughed until tears came and cried until we could laugh again. The woman was a wit and I shall miss her.
"Mrs. Minifie, what do you see is your role in the church?"
"I think I am most like a casserole."
"Mrs. Minifie, what do you see is your role in the church?"
"I think I am most like a casserole."
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