March 2009
1 post
on attempting to grow stuff.....
Anyone ever seen The Good Life (1970’s English sitcom about a suburban couple who attempt to become self sufficient)? Seems like everyone is trying it these days, although perhaps not has wholeheartedly as ‘Tom & Barbara’, and I am no exception. I draw the line at homemade elderflower wine though……
I have lived in London virtually my whole life. I am pretty much...
February 2009
2 posts
“The Joy of Eating”
– omg. i just went to Kings Red and White (my neighborhood grocer) and rediscovered my favorite snack of all time.
most people have memories of their grandmothers delectible baked goods or slow cooked creations. i have other memories. i have memories of my grandma, freed from the stove because my...
October 2008
3 posts
Zen and the Art of Mountain Climbing
My husband has recently taken to reading the essays and prose of Alan Watts. He’s been reading to me from the book: Cloud-Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown. While he was on tour, he would call me to tell me about his latest chapter and the peace of mind it was bringing about within him. Lately, we’ve been spending time during the day or with our heads upon our pillows at night comparing the...
The Joy of Bowling (and Trolley Dolly!)
Until two years ago I hadn’t set foot in a bowling alley since the age of about 12. And with good reason - I’ve always been disastrous at it. Think no hand-eye coordination, and an attempt at the ‘three step run up crazy leg swing thing’ guaranteed to have my competitors falling off those little bench things in fits of hysterical laughter. And naturally the ball would...
Diet-schmiet
Diet, Schmiet … but how am I going to lose those 20 lbs? So I was checking my email and apparently my independent health insurance provider has taken it upon themselves to provide me with monthly health tips. Smart on their part, free for me, and who doesn’t need more email every day? So October includes easy tips for a healthy diet which is an article that lists EVERY category and what is...
September 2008
4 posts
Stay Golden Pony Boy
Today I was “all lost in the supermarket” Clash-style. I was having an existential crisis that I was pretty sure Whole Foods could solve, as it often does. Yet again, it didn’t disappoint. “Would you like to try something new?” asked a middle-aged woman, wearing an apron behind a neatly lined display of jewel-toned packages. “Yes, exactly. Yes!” ...
Book Crossing
A cool and random way to share books……
http://www.bookcrossing.com/
I love this idea - have read about it a few times over the last couple of years, but finally got myself signed up. Submit your books to fate, and hope that they find new readers, perhaps even travelling the world in the process. Release books into the wild!
-Jen
Savor These Pages
Sometimes I come across a book that is so utterly perfect that I have to ration how much I can have at any given time so I don’t get a sugar rush headache and realize that I haven’t savored every single word. This happens so very rarely that I’m not used to having to stop myself from rushing through pages, so I have to set up rules: I can only read this book at work, which means...
Co-habiting
I would never have said that I was a natural co-habitor. The reasons - I am stubborn, I have OCD tendencies regarding cleaning, I’m furiously independent and a dedicated creature of habit. Someone standing in front of an open fridge with the door wide open drives me nuts. I have been hanging on to the ‘together but separate’ idea for years. Nevertheless I now find myself...
July 2008
5 posts
Dance With Your Pants Off
hot, sweaty days of summer in the south means you have two options: swimming the day away or just reveling in the hot mess that one becomes doing anything more that eating popsicles in front a fan going at full tilt. while i’ve been fully enjoying long afternoons half submerged in this swimming hole or that, i’m also a bit worried that looking like a prune is not really going to be in...
Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies...
My husband revels in the fact that I know every word to every song that comes on the local classic rock stations (and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little proud myself). He looks over with a grin and says, “Dude, who the fuck is this anyway?” Most of the time, it’s the usual suspects, Journey, Boston or our ol’ pal Johnny Cougar, but every now and again,...
Strange Magic
This afternoon I was wearing plaid shorts with mis-matched ankle socks and pulling weeds from the yard of the house I bought this morning in a small Wisconsin town. My husband called me from running errands at Home Depot to inquire about light switches and lettuce. I strapped the kids into their car seats to head home and, without a hint of irony, put ELO on the iPod. This hour of my life...
Queer the Smear
Here’s the thing. I’m the go-to gal for anything “queer” among “straight” friends. I delight in the expertise status. As a personal is political kind of lady, I am honor-bound to share every morsel of advice that I believe is pertinent. Including how I came to identifying as a butch bisexual. But that is another story, another day.
Here is where we...
I'm not big on social graces...
On a sunny porch near the MN/WI border an idea was born
(a man + a plan = panama)
What is yet to come…ideas, feelings, opinions, reviews and christmas.
So, when the dog bites, when the bee stings…
We will share with you just how much we love 7th Heaven, The Umbrella Song and Garth Brooks (and why we’re not afraid to sing it from the rooftops!)
Big Love,
HW