Its All Greek To Me

The best moment of 2005, huh?

So my best moment of 2005 would have to be coming out of anesthesia from surgery yesterday and getting to eat warm cinnamon raisin toast with butter and a warm cup of tea. The reason for that is 1. because with all the meds I'm taking today, I can't remember any farther back, and 2. because waking up and not having any worries or pain and getting to do something so simple as eat a sweet treat is just the best in the world. Hope everyone has a GREAT 2006 and that the good vibes I'm sending out catch all of ya!

Technorati Tag: 2005

Magalie's World Tour 2005

Magalie's post today highlights two of my very favorite things: Tea and hiking. As a novice hiker, I am very impressed with the fact that she hiked in a foreign country all by herself. Solo. In the jungle. And as a tea drinker, I love that she finished her hike with a cup of tea grown in the region she had been traipsing through. It doesn't get any better than this:

i saw a waterfall, butterflies, tons of different types of ferns, a squirel and a few birds but nothing to write home about (although i'm kinda doing that, aren't i?). i went up to the observation tower and the landscape was beautiful, with mountains playing hide and seek with the clouds.

after the hike i headed to the old smoke house, where i had great locally grown tea with a slice of spicy fruit cake, 2 scones, home made strawberry jam (nothing compared to mine!) and thick cream. yummy! the whole place felt very english and it was all proper. i thought that it was a great way to get energy back after a hike and i wondered why i never did that in whistler after hikes instead of going for nachos :)

Travel books almost invariably have a "women traveling alone" section - or at least a mention of things women who are traveling alone should do in that particular country - that addresses women's safety in that country. This has always made me wary - I'm not as adventurous as I like to think I am. So to read Magalie's solo hike in the jungle, then capping it off at a tea house, drinking locally grown tea is just mindblowingly amazing to me.

Props to Magalie for being fearless.




Technorati Tag: travel

homesick home

A Very Jungian Christmas

We at the Homesick Home desperately need some Carl Jung dream analysis.


Perhaps it was the pork roast I made last night -- the recipe called for sake, but I didn`t have any, so I put in a bottle of Anchor Steam beer. Whatever it was, three members of our household had weird dreams.

Technorati Tag: dreams

scribbling woman

Carnival of Feminists V

Here is some holiday reading of the feminist variety, and a day early, too. Thanks to all the nominators, particularly as I have not been able to surf too much this last little while. And a happy Winter Solstice to all!

There are alot of links here ... make yourself comfy and prepare yourself to read for more than a few minutes.

Technorati Tag: feminist

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

The writer at Full Exposure is beating herself up for sleeping with the ex.

We've all done it. We've all regretted it afterwards. (Or have we?)

But I have to say, this one passage really struck a chord with me, because it is SO true (for me, anyway):

I am a sucker for funny. Funny will get me naked quicker than anything else on God's green Earth.

What is it about funny guys that is so sexy? A funny man will do it to me every time. Seriously.

As far as sleeping with the ex, I hope that by now (since you posted on 12/5) you've cut yourself some slack. Girl, there's nothing wrong with a little somethin' somethin' as long as you don't get caught up again. Recognize this moment for what it was, and then move on. You've only got one life to live. Enjoy it. Don't spend it regretting the past.


Technorati Tag: relationships

The Happy Feminist

THE CARNIVAL OF BENT ATTRACTIONS

In case you are not all carnival-ed out, I have stumbled across a brand new, very cool sounding carnival-- The Carnival of Bent Attractions hosted by Daily Dose of Queer. This Carnival may have the best title ever -- and, as you may be able to infer, it features posts of interest to the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, trans and queer communities.


Feminists, whether we have "bent attractions" ourselves or not, are natural allies of the gay community because we too are fighting the notion that we have to "be" a particular way or live a particular way due to gender roles. For example, I take laws limiting state-sponsored marriage to "one man, one woman" very personally because I interpret those laws as one step by the state towards dictating gender roles. As a childless professional woman, I view that as a threat.

Technorati Tag: feminist

Words on a Page

When did Republicans and Democrats switch parties?

Back in Lincoln's time republicans were, well decidely more like democrats. If you've studied much history, you know this to be true. Who would have ever thought it would take a democrat to finally turn the national deficit into a national surplus? And who would have ever believed a republican would send it spiraling so far out of control?


What has happened to the people who call themselves conservatives? I always thought Republicans were the party of the people who wanted LESS government interference in their private lives. LESS government regulating what we as private citizens could do, say, think, read, watch on TV, eat, drink, smoke, or whom we have sex with. That and LESS government spending. Keeping a tight reign on the fiscal budget. Which would ultimately mean lower taxes.


Aren't Republicans suppose to be all about personal responsiblity? Taking care of yourself and your family. Minding your own business and letting your neighbors mind theirs?

Technorati Tag: politics

Christmas Party

It's that time of year again. Time for the seemingly incessant holiday party circuit!

I went to one last week, and it was actually pretty fun. One of my coworkers hosted the party at her house and brought in one of the chefs from Boulevard to cook for us. [We're big foodies over here in the Bay Area, I tell ya.] A comparative tasting of Scotch followed.

It was a great night. The party was swanky, yet informal. Comfortable. But then again, I knew almost everyone there.

SOH at Someone Out There regales us with her tale of a holiday party she attended this weekend. I know I can definitely relate:

I'm tired this morning, more mentally tired than physically. I spent six plus hours at a pre-Christmas cocktail party yesterday afternoon and evening. Six hours of yackety-yak and small talk.

I'm a quiet person, more inclined to reading, blogging, movie watching and hanging with the family, than socializing with large groups of people. Still, I ventured forth yesterday into the world of the Christmas party. I slapped on some makeup (which I normally shun unless absolutely necessary), slipped on my Christmas sweater (Oh God, I just know that is so cliched and wrong) and shuffled down the street to the neighbor's house.

Hello neighbors, here I am. Everyone take a look! I have stepped outside of my house! Oh well, not exactly like that but something similar. Am I the only one who feels that way when they arrive at a party? If I could crawl in a corner and hide, I probably would. Somehow, I manage to make it through the awkward first hour and then as more and more people arrive, it's easy to blend into the crowd and feel less conspicuous.

The better half and I intended to stay only an hour or two but we found ourselves chatting it up with various people who live only a few houses away. People I have never met or seen before but who live their lives only a few hundred feet from me. They were interesting to spend a little bit of time with. Hour two passed into hour three and then four. Before I knew it, hour six had arrived and it was definitely time to head home.

[...]

The outing was interesting and fun. I'm glad I went but I have to acknowledge that I'm really not a party person. So, for the moment, I just want to curl up on the couch and watch something, anything, to stop the party voices in my head.

I don't know what it is about the holidays, but I have found myself more and more being forced to painfully attempt to make small talk with many people that really have nothing to say to me. I'll admit, I am shy (at times), and it's in mixed company where I find the most performance anxiety.

Some people, like SOH, just aren't "party people." It's exhausting making small talk for hours on end, to people who you may or may not ever see again.

What are some of your "tried and true" conversation starters? Let's have a discussion here - maybe your suggestion will help someone out for an upcoming party this weekend!


Technorati Tag: holidays

Battlepanda

Blogging Cory Maye...con't

Bastard! "...some times people do irrational things." That's the motive they used to charge Maye with first-degree murder? That and "we do not know what else he might have to hide" (that you obviously did not find in the course of your investigation of Maye, Mr. Persecutor). Ugh! I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if Maye was white, the persecutor would not be coming up with this kind of retarded presumption of criminal intent despite of all available evidence.


I am listening to NPR right now where they are having something of a mini Tookie-thon. I mean, I'm glad Tookie reformed and all, and it's true I'm against the death penalty in general. But we should not be doing all this handwringing over Tookie when a completely and obviously innocent man like Cory Maye is rotting on death row.

Please click over and read what she and other bloggers have to say bout this. I've even blogged about Cory Maye. If you have a blog yourself, please consider adding your say as well. More attention needs to be given to this case.

Technorati Tag: Cory Maye

Nancy's Crazy Adventures

The Chocolate Tasting Club November Selection Review

The Chocolate tasting club November Selection arrived this week to my delight, well packaged as usual and containing the usual menu score card and Chocolate news letter. Their Christmas Catalogue is wonderful, I will order a few things and review them if I can afford it.


This months selection included fudge which is unusual though it was chocolate covered and called "Ariba Fudge by Hachez Feodora" only made with premium ingredients including madagascan vanilla and arriba cocoa from Ecuador. It was lovely delicately wrapped in foil and paper, melting easily in the mouth and not over sweetened.

... and there is more ...

Technorati Tag: chocolate

Home Fires

In the spirit of the commercialism of the season, Lois Lane over at Home Fires offers up an interesting idea (just don't call it a meme!):

Our imaginary community is so tight that we know each other better than some of our real live fleshy friends know us or we them.

This is no meme crap either so don't give me any lip about playing! Here is what I want you to do. When you see an item that makes you think of a fellow blogger make a mental note. When you get home, type about the person and the gift and why you would get that for them. Money is no object and it's the thought that counts, so "shop" 'til ya drop.

Since the weeks before Christmas are so crazy and hectic, and many of us won't have time to blog, this will be a quick fix. You'll have the notes on your computer. Now all you have to do is do an image search of the gifts and post them all.

Have any of you started holiday shopping yet? I have so many nieces and nephews to shop for that by the time I get through with them, I probably won't have any resources available - or maybe very little - for my friends! A sudden burst of creativity is definitely needed.

Maybe I can just knit everyone a scarf.


Technorati Tag: Holidays

Letter to Kevin and Pauline, Bilingual Kiwi Kids in France

Nocturnal Earthshaking Belly Laughs

For some strange reason, in the middle of the night, I dreamed of someone telling me that terrible old joke:


Q: How do you become a Olympic medal-winning athletics champion?
A: You sit in the bath until you're Dick Quax...


I started to laugh silently, so as not to wake French Hubby, but the effect of the belly laugh straining to escaped my clamped shut mouth produced vibrations strong enough to make the bed shake. The more I tried to stop, the harder I laughed, and the more the bed shook. French Hubby eventually woke up with a start and wanted to know what was happening. He's really miffed that the pun simply cannot be translated into French.


Oh, it's lovely to be self-sufficient in the entertainment department!

Technorati Tag: humor

Commemorating World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day.

Danya at Jerusalem Syndrome posts today about the art community's poignant way of remembering those creative souls who have died as a result of this disease.

Art is covered up in museums around the world to commemorate the many people in the art world who have died of AIDS.

Danya also highlights several organizations available if you are so inclined to do your part to stop this epidemic. We're not even close to getting a handle on this. Far more work needs to be done in terms of AIDS education, research, and moving past political pressure to make a real difference.

My high school teacher, Mr. Colon, is the only person I know who has succumbed to this disease. He was one of the most intelligent, vibrant, and witty personalities I had ever known, and he had the most beautiful soul. High school was more than 15 years for me now, but I still miss him.

Technorati Tag: AIDS