now stop calling me!
i hope you are too. in the meantime, this is a fun and fascinating article. i read it on my lunch break today.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
and again.
it's november. time to try to write another 50,000 words. last year i only made 13,096. first year in 4 that i failed.
wish me luck.
wish me luck.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
and so it begins.
came home today to find the first political robo-call on my answering machine. dammit. i have got to move to california or something. so sick of living in a battleground state.
we haven't, at least, been getting the nasty ones. at least not yet. this one was about "a woman's right to choose." and then, you know, BALEETED. i already know who that's for. don't need to sit through the whole thing. ahem. if they're going to do robo-calls, they could at least make them interesting or unpredictable. also, maybe do a little demographic research. under 35? yeah. gets most political info from teh intarwebz. not automated phone calls.
i was hoping they'd hold off a little longer. 2 weeks to the election. sigh.
we haven't, at least, been getting the nasty ones. at least not yet. this one was about "a woman's right to choose." and then, you know, BALEETED. i already know who that's for. don't need to sit through the whole thing. ahem. if they're going to do robo-calls, they could at least make them interesting or unpredictable. also, maybe do a little demographic research. under 35? yeah. gets most political info from teh intarwebz. not automated phone calls.
i was hoping they'd hold off a little longer. 2 weeks to the election. sigh.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
too soon.
first virus of the season.
i feel miserable. not, unfortunately, so miserable that i could justify using a sick day. i hate this in-between sick. i'd rather have a damn flu with fever and everything than this crappy cold.
bleah.
i feel miserable. not, unfortunately, so miserable that i could justify using a sick day. i hate this in-between sick. i'd rather have a damn flu with fever and everything than this crappy cold.
bleah.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
what's for dinner?
"do you just make these up?" she asked me.
"yes."
middle-eastern-style kabobs
1lb steak (i happened to have rib-eye in the freezer, so that's what i used)
2 green bell peppers
1/2 onion
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic (i like garlic)
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar and/or lemon juice (i don't have any lemons at the moment)
to taste: ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, black pepper, rosemary and oregano (fresh, preferably ...i should plant some oregano next year)
1. combine the cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, herbs, olive oil, and vinegar in a dish or plastic bag.
2. cut the steak into 1" cubes, trimming off excess fat.
3. marinate the meat for at least an hour to overnight.
4. when the meat is nearly finished marinating, cut the onion and peppers into 1" square slices.
5. thread the onion and pepper slices, whole tomatoes, and meat onto skewers, alternating as your whimsy takes you.
6. pour the marinade over the kabobs.
7. grill or broil using high heat so the meat sears. continue cooking to desired doneness.
8. serve with rice, couscous, or flatbread.
"yes."
middle-eastern-style kabobs
1lb steak (i happened to have rib-eye in the freezer, so that's what i used)
2 green bell peppers
1/2 onion
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic (i like garlic)
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar and/or lemon juice (i don't have any lemons at the moment)
to taste: ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, black pepper, rosemary and oregano (fresh, preferably ...i should plant some oregano next year)
1. combine the cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, herbs, olive oil, and vinegar in a dish or plastic bag.
2. cut the steak into 1" cubes, trimming off excess fat.
3. marinate the meat for at least an hour to overnight.
4. when the meat is nearly finished marinating, cut the onion and peppers into 1" square slices.
5. thread the onion and pepper slices, whole tomatoes, and meat onto skewers, alternating as your whimsy takes you.
6. pour the marinade over the kabobs.
7. grill or broil using high heat so the meat sears. continue cooking to desired doneness.
8. serve with rice, couscous, or flatbread.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
in other news...
it lives in the bathroom to protect it from the cat. aloes and cats are apparently natural enemies.
i bought it back in 1999 in a farmer's market in montreal. it's lived through 2 countries, and 6 moves. quite frankly, i'm surprised it's still alive. not only is it alive, it's apparently feeling quite vigorous.
from what i can find online, i need to wait until the sprout is about 4 inches, by which point, it should have developed its own root system. then i carefully separate it and re-pot it by itself. this ought to be interesting.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
family values.
i've been trying to stay away from this, but it's getting ridiculous. i will try to be as tasteful as possible. warning: a rant does follow. i may offend you. if you genuinely think i'm wrong, please let me know.
it has recently come out in the last few days that the 17-year-old daughter of john mccain's running mate is 5 months pregnant. what's mostly troubling about this to me is that any and all defense of her that i can find consists of, "but she's not going to abort!"
honestly, who cares?
let's talk about the mother. let's talk about teen pregnancy. let's talk about low birth weight, birth complications, life-altering circumstances. let's talk about the difference between a white, affluent, middle-class teenager getting pregnant and an inner-city minority teenager getting pregnant, and the example the former sets for the entire nation. hey, while we're at it, let's talk about a family, a white, middle-class, educated family where the mother and her daughter are pregnant at the same time (do the math... bristol is 5 months pregnant and her little brother is 4 months old). let's talk about what that communicates to women, about women, about parenthood and femininity. let's talk about a society obsessed with sex, a society that values women on their sexual attractiveness and availability, a society that equates love with sex.
why isn't anyone asking if bristol palin is going to college? or how about her soon-to-be husband? why isn't anyone talking about these young people at all? why is all the focus on the fetus?
here's a dirty little secret: heterosexual intercourse doesn't have to lead to pregnancy. really. it doesn't. there is no way that any affluent, middle-class girl who's fucking her boyfriend has to get pregnant. none. especially not if you have health insurance. birth control is fucking cheap. condoms are cheaper. unwanted pregnancies should, quite frankly, be unknown in the u.s. today. i am tempted, some of these days, to say that if you get pregnant and you didn't want to, then you are either a) selfish b) lazy c) ignorant or d) infused with a superficial, false-nostalgic view of sex and relationships. i feel sorry for people in the last two categories, and i don't think they (the categories) should exist.
i was raised an evangelical. let me tell you something, pregnant 17-year-olds are not part of the "family values" platform. i never, thank god, suffered through "abstinence-only" education. abstinence has its place. no one in their right mind can argue that the best way to avoid the problems or side effects of sex (read: diseases and babies) is not to not have sex. but i always wondered about the mindset of parents who didn't want their kids to know other ways to prevent them. when are they supposed to learn? between the wedding and the wedding night? "here are some condoms, honey, let me teach you how to use them before you check in to the hotel tonight." seriously? we're not living on farms anymore.
i don't think the poor girl should have been walloped all over the national news, but obviously, her parents don't agree. either that, or they have no idea how to handle the media. it's bristol's life, and she made decisions, and now she's going to have to live with them, but she's also 17, and she has to live with her mother's decisions too. this whole situation is monumentally unfair to her. but the conversations that should be happening, aren't. all we're getting is 1-dimensional kerfuffle about abortion. abortion is such a fucking minor question at this point, it's insane that that's all people are talking about.
it has recently come out in the last few days that the 17-year-old daughter of john mccain's running mate is 5 months pregnant. what's mostly troubling about this to me is that any and all defense of her that i can find consists of, "but she's not going to abort!"
honestly, who cares?
let's talk about the mother. let's talk about teen pregnancy. let's talk about low birth weight, birth complications, life-altering circumstances. let's talk about the difference between a white, affluent, middle-class teenager getting pregnant and an inner-city minority teenager getting pregnant, and the example the former sets for the entire nation. hey, while we're at it, let's talk about a family, a white, middle-class, educated family where the mother and her daughter are pregnant at the same time (do the math... bristol is 5 months pregnant and her little brother is 4 months old). let's talk about what that communicates to women, about women, about parenthood and femininity. let's talk about a society obsessed with sex, a society that values women on their sexual attractiveness and availability, a society that equates love with sex.
why isn't anyone asking if bristol palin is going to college? or how about her soon-to-be husband? why isn't anyone talking about these young people at all? why is all the focus on the fetus?
here's a dirty little secret: heterosexual intercourse doesn't have to lead to pregnancy. really. it doesn't. there is no way that any affluent, middle-class girl who's fucking her boyfriend has to get pregnant. none. especially not if you have health insurance. birth control is fucking cheap. condoms are cheaper. unwanted pregnancies should, quite frankly, be unknown in the u.s. today. i am tempted, some of these days, to say that if you get pregnant and you didn't want to, then you are either a) selfish b) lazy c) ignorant or d) infused with a superficial, false-nostalgic view of sex and relationships. i feel sorry for people in the last two categories, and i don't think they (the categories) should exist.
i was raised an evangelical. let me tell you something, pregnant 17-year-olds are not part of the "family values" platform. i never, thank god, suffered through "abstinence-only" education. abstinence has its place. no one in their right mind can argue that the best way to avoid the problems or side effects of sex (read: diseases and babies) is not to not have sex. but i always wondered about the mindset of parents who didn't want their kids to know other ways to prevent them. when are they supposed to learn? between the wedding and the wedding night? "here are some condoms, honey, let me teach you how to use them before you check in to the hotel tonight." seriously? we're not living on farms anymore.
i don't think the poor girl should have been walloped all over the national news, but obviously, her parents don't agree. either that, or they have no idea how to handle the media. it's bristol's life, and she made decisions, and now she's going to have to live with them, but she's also 17, and she has to live with her mother's decisions too. this whole situation is monumentally unfair to her. but the conversations that should be happening, aren't. all we're getting is 1-dimensional kerfuffle about abortion. abortion is such a fucking minor question at this point, it's insane that that's all people are talking about.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
what's for dinner?
1 lb tuna steaks
1 T soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
1 T hoisin sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 1" cube piece of ginger, minced.
1. combine all the ingredients except the tuna in a plastic bag or marinating container.
2. add the tuna and coat well. let the tuna sit in the marinade for at least a half hour.
3. grill or broil the tuna steaks to preferred doneness.
4. serve with rice and steamed vegetables, such as broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, etc.
1 T soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
1 T hoisin sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 1" cube piece of ginger, minced.
1. combine all the ingredients except the tuna in a plastic bag or marinating container.
2. add the tuna and coat well. let the tuna sit in the marinade for at least a half hour.
3. grill or broil the tuna steaks to preferred doneness.
4. serve with rice and steamed vegetables, such as broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, etc.
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