Friends, prepare to take a journey down the rabbit's hole. Really: don't go to this web site if you, say, have to pick up your child in 15 minutes, or you need to pay close attention to something on the stove or you plan on going to bed within the next hour. Don't click on this link if any of those circumstances apply to you.
Wait until you have a couple hours (at least) available, a mug of coffee on hand and your favorite pen with a stack of paper and no one around to distract you.
The Paris Review has made its interview collection available online.*
I've read volume no. 1 and 4 with no luck locating no. 2 and 3. So this feels like, well, it feels like thank you Paris Review.
This is your chance to get into the heads of your favorite writers. Don't miss out.*Based on my limited picking around on the site it seems that the archives are open, free and completely available. Only the most recent interviews are cut off mid-interview with a request for a subscription if you want to read more.
11 May 2011
09 May 2011
06 May 2011
#17
Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius. My girl and I toured the Pope-Leighey House two weeks ago and I was bowled over by his ingenuity. What an innovative man!
According to the pamphlet I received at the site (the house is protected under the National Trust for Historic Preservation), "The Pope-Leighley House tells the story of Frank Lloyd Wright's innovative designs for modestly-sized and affordable single-family 'Usonian' houses and how two families adapted this dwelling to fit their mid-20th century lifestyles."
Here is a link to its floor plan. It measures in at 1200 square feet.
Here are the details, innovations that impressed me most:
Here's a fascinating interview with its first owner, Loren Pope.
According to the pamphlet I received at the site (the house is protected under the National Trust for Historic Preservation), "The Pope-Leighley House tells the story of Frank Lloyd Wright's innovative designs for modestly-sized and affordable single-family 'Usonian' houses and how two families adapted this dwelling to fit their mid-20th century lifestyles."
Here is a link to its floor plan. It measures in at 1200 square feet.
Here are the details, innovations that impressed me most:
- custom-made furniture, much of it made from plywood, so that the pieces would fit the exact dimensions of where they were to be place.
- an emphasis on the horizontal. See the pictures of the brickwork and screws (below) to see what I mean. Also note the faux stain glass windows. Stain glass would have been very expensive, too expensive for the purposes of this house, but he used wood cut-outs to create a similar look all while emphasizing the horizontal line.
- radiant floor heating. According to our tour guide, FLW invented this.
- absence of clutter.
- using a variety of ceiling heights and ample windows to create the illusion of a spacious house. There is really no way to describe the way that FLW is able to manipulate a person's feelings via architecture. Go to the FLW house closest to you and you'll experience it for yourself. He is a master at it.
- common-sense: positioning kitchen cabinet doors so that when opened they were lit by the windows.
- drawers that tipped out instead of pulled out.
- an outdoor herb garden that was accessible from the kitchen. FLW tried to blur, erase the boundaries between indoors and outdoors as much as possible.
- to this end, he didn't want the owners of the house to hang curtains. The owners won this battle, but when I toured there were no curtains hanging and I could see why curtains would diminish the connection with outside. However, privacy is lovely and if I lived in that house, there would be curtains. Sorry, Frank!
 |
| the entrance |
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| an example of how obsessed FLW was with the horizontal line and details: the vertical mortar is tinted to match the bricks so it disappears, the horizontal mortar color is lighter and thus stands out |
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| all the screws are aligned horizontally aligned - I'm sure that didn't drive the construction crew crazy! |
 |
| view from the rear courtyard |
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| view of the screened-in porch |
05 May 2011
#8
To cap off completing #8 on The List, "learn some basic French words and phrases", let me share my 10 favorite French words (I've included the pronunciation when I could find it):
1. book - le livre - (luh LEE-vrah)
2. tree - l'arbre - (l' AR-brah)
3. postcard - le carte postale
4. horse - le cheval - (luh sh-VALL)
5. egg - les oeufs - (lay uff)
6. flowers - les fleurs - (lay flur)
7. library card - le carte de lecteur
8. apple - la pomme - (lah pumm)
9. sun - la soleil - (lah sol-ay)
10. mountain - la montagne - (lah mon-tyne)
Learning these words, OK I ended up learning hundreds of French words, was so much fun and such a good reminder that I love learning foreign language. In high school and college I studied Latin. I remember immersing myself in it and reveling in discovering more and more about it.
I relied on a great DK French-English visual dictionary as well as a stack of children's books to find these French words. It was a great starting point.
This brief dip into the French pool has me thinking that I need to study another language in more depth. I'm keeping my eye on Rosetta Stone and the Concordia Language Villages courses. Who knows what may happen? Of course, I have to decide between French and Swedish. Which language would you choose to study?
1. book - le livre - (luh LEE-vrah)
2. tree - l'arbre - (l' AR-brah)
3. postcard - le carte postale
4. horse - le cheval - (luh sh-VALL)
5. egg - les oeufs - (lay uff)
6. flowers - les fleurs - (lay flur)
7. library card - le carte de lecteur
8. apple - la pomme - (lah pumm)
9. sun - la soleil - (lah sol-ay)
10. mountain - la montagne - (lah mon-tyne)
Learning these words, OK I ended up learning hundreds of French words, was so much fun and such a good reminder that I love learning foreign language. In high school and college I studied Latin. I remember immersing myself in it and reveling in discovering more and more about it.
I relied on a great DK French-English visual dictionary as well as a stack of children's books to find these French words. It was a great starting point.
This brief dip into the French pool has me thinking that I need to study another language in more depth. I'm keeping my eye on Rosetta Stone and the Concordia Language Villages courses. Who knows what may happen? Of course, I have to decide between French and Swedish. Which language would you choose to study?
04 May 2011
trader joe's love
Let me introduce you to the best shampoo and conditioner ever. By "best" I mean a S&C combination that is affordable, contains no lauryl sulfates, makes my hair look great and smells delicious: Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle.
I am also loving their Trader Johann's Virtuoso Lip Balm which boasts olive oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E as its top three ingredients. A nice alternative to the lip balms that are packed with nasty chemicals.
I am also loving their Trader Johann's Virtuoso Lip Balm which boasts olive oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E as its top three ingredients. A nice alternative to the lip balms that are packed with nasty chemicals.
03 May 2011
#4
I purchased this book after reading an article about a successful (published!) author saying that reading it was the equivalent of completing an MFA program. The book was expensive; right now it's listed at $44.81. I bought it anyway. I figured that was a bargain when I considered how much it would cost to actually enroll in and complete an MFA program.
Of course, it took me a year to read it. But, read it I did. And I learned a lot from it.
What I took away from it:
1. If I ever teach Rhetoric at the college level again, this will be my text.
2. I read this book a chapter at a time. I definitely recommend this approach. I enjoy studying grammar, but many of the proper grammatical terms escape me. (They probably always will.) So taking small bites of this book helped increase my comprehension.
3. I will probably never read this book cover-to-cover again, though I will refer to it often.
4. I learned more than I expected to. The authors really revealed a lot of methods that were previously unnamed to me, to change the rhythm and focus and emphasis of a sentence. They revealed and explained some useful tricks of the writing trade.
5. This is a must-read for writers.
6. This means I can cross #4 off The List!
Of course, it took me a year to read it. But, read it I did. And I learned a lot from it.
What I took away from it:
1. If I ever teach Rhetoric at the college level again, this will be my text.
2. I read this book a chapter at a time. I definitely recommend this approach. I enjoy studying grammar, but many of the proper grammatical terms escape me. (They probably always will.) So taking small bites of this book helped increase my comprehension.
3. I will probably never read this book cover-to-cover again, though I will refer to it often.
4. I learned more than I expected to. The authors really revealed a lot of methods that were previously unnamed to me, to change the rhythm and focus and emphasis of a sentence. They revealed and explained some useful tricks of the writing trade.
5. This is a must-read for writers.
6. This means I can cross #4 off The List!
02 May 2011
from "The Gastronomical Me" by M.F.K. Fisher
"It was a wonderful window, one of the best I can remember, and what I saw and thought and felt as I stood in it with my hands on the food for us those months will always be a good part of me."
29 April 2011
13 good things right now
1. We are experiencing serious potty training success. Actually, we have been for about a month, but I didn't want to say anything until it seemed like it was going to stick. Friends, it's sticking. I felt high and happy after the first few days of successful potty training because there were days, weeks when I thought I would be sending my child to college in diapers. It appears this will not be the case. I feel about 20 pounds lighter.
2. I have a new niece! Emmalyn Grace was born yesterday and she is healthy and happy. Also, my neighbor had a baby girl, too: Sophie Quinn. Love.
3. Our neighborhood flowerbeds are teeming with poppies, bleeding hearts, irises and all sorts of beautiful eye candy. (This is where I should insert a photo, I know. Friends, I'm working on it.)
4. A stack of delicious CDs from the library: John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington, Gustav Mahler's symphony No. 6, Stravinsky's le sacre du printemps, Debussy's preludes, lovely things for our ears.
5. 64 oz. Ball jars from the local hardware store. I had only been able to find them online and the shipping was atrocious. My pantry is organized. For now.
6. A new reading lamp for my girl. Also found at the local hardware store. I'm pretty sure it's actually a brooder lamp, but I've also seen them used in my art class and on construction sites. They come with a handy clip so they can go almost anywhere. $9.50!
7. A gift of a potted purple hyacinth.
8. The right book in my hands at the right time. Specifically, "The Art of Eating" by M.F.K. Fisher. More specifically, the section called "The Gastronomical Me."
9. Plans for trips to Gettysburg and Maine are progressing nicely.
10. Ideas for two new articles.
11. It's smoothie season!
12. I've figured out a way to MacGuyver my yogurt machine so that I can make larger quantities of yogurt instead of making a new batch every three days. Now, I only make it once a week.
13. It's Friday!
2. I have a new niece! Emmalyn Grace was born yesterday and she is healthy and happy. Also, my neighbor had a baby girl, too: Sophie Quinn. Love.
3. Our neighborhood flowerbeds are teeming with poppies, bleeding hearts, irises and all sorts of beautiful eye candy. (This is where I should insert a photo, I know. Friends, I'm working on it.)
4. A stack of delicious CDs from the library: John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington, Gustav Mahler's symphony No. 6, Stravinsky's le sacre du printemps, Debussy's preludes, lovely things for our ears.
5. 64 oz. Ball jars from the local hardware store. I had only been able to find them online and the shipping was atrocious. My pantry is organized. For now.
6. A new reading lamp for my girl. Also found at the local hardware store. I'm pretty sure it's actually a brooder lamp, but I've also seen them used in my art class and on construction sites. They come with a handy clip so they can go almost anywhere. $9.50!
7. A gift of a potted purple hyacinth.
8. The right book in my hands at the right time. Specifically, "The Art of Eating" by M.F.K. Fisher. More specifically, the section called "The Gastronomical Me."
9. Plans for trips to Gettysburg and Maine are progressing nicely.
10. Ideas for two new articles.
11. It's smoothie season!
12. I've figured out a way to MacGuyver my yogurt machine so that I can make larger quantities of yogurt instead of making a new batch every three days. Now, I only make it once a week.
13. It's Friday!
19 April 2011
#23
Another one done.
I have been swimming in Shakespeare and loving it. My original goal was to "read six works of Shakespeare (with annotations)" and I did just that, with a little tweak.
At the outset of this project I consulted my high-school-English-teacher friend and told her my plan. She helped me put together a best-of/most-referred-to-in-other-literature list of works. And then, importantly, she reminded me that Shakespeare wrote plays, not novels. This little tip gave me permission to watch the video of the Shakespeare play without feeling like I was cheating.
I quickly fell into a routine: I'd check out the text from the library to review it, read the synopsis on Wikipedia and then watch a video of the play. I've followed this method with the following plays:
1. Romeo & Juliet
2. Hamlet
3. Twelfth Night
4. Much Ado About Nothing
5. A Midsummer's Night Dream
6. The Merchant of Venice.
Of course, I'd like to explore more of Shakespeare's works, namely "The Taming of the Shrew," "Othello," "Macbeth" and "As You like It." However, I will be taking a bit of a break as it seems that many of these works are running together in my mind. Ahem.
Any other Shakespeare recommendations must-sees/must-reads?
I have been swimming in Shakespeare and loving it. My original goal was to "read six works of Shakespeare (with annotations)" and I did just that, with a little tweak.
At the outset of this project I consulted my high-school-English-teacher friend and told her my plan. She helped me put together a best-of/most-referred-to-in-other-literature list of works. And then, importantly, she reminded me that Shakespeare wrote plays, not novels. This little tip gave me permission to watch the video of the Shakespeare play without feeling like I was cheating.
I quickly fell into a routine: I'd check out the text from the library to review it, read the synopsis on Wikipedia and then watch a video of the play. I've followed this method with the following plays:
1. Romeo & Juliet
2. Hamlet
3. Twelfth Night
4. Much Ado About Nothing
5. A Midsummer's Night Dream
6. The Merchant of Venice.
Of course, I'd like to explore more of Shakespeare's works, namely "The Taming of the Shrew," "Othello," "Macbeth" and "As You like It." However, I will be taking a bit of a break as it seems that many of these works are running together in my mind. Ahem.
Any other Shakespeare recommendations must-sees/must-reads?
18 April 2011
zoom!
Driving. Zooming to a friend's house. Late. Late. Late. Very slow minivan ahead of me. Irritated because it's my own putzy fault that we're late. Grey day. Drizzly.
I slow my car to meet the curve of the river, which is what is shaping the road. My eyes flit to the river. It's rocky here, lots of rapids, dips, pools, plunges.
A heron is poised on almost every boulder I can see. Fishing.
I pull the car over. Let the minivan putter in peace. Take a deep breath.
My daughter and I sit watching the 20 herons fishing for their brunch. For seconds, minutes, hours. I don't know how long.
Right on time.
I slow my car to meet the curve of the river, which is what is shaping the road. My eyes flit to the river. It's rocky here, lots of rapids, dips, pools, plunges.
A heron is poised on almost every boulder I can see. Fishing.
I pull the car over. Let the minivan putter in peace. Take a deep breath.
My daughter and I sit watching the 20 herons fishing for their brunch. For seconds, minutes, hours. I don't know how long.
Right on time.
15 April 2011
14 April 2011
13 April 2011
#29
We made it to the National Zoo last week. #29 is done.
Several events pushed this activity to the top of the list:
1. the weather has been perfect
2. we wanted to go before it was crawling with kids on spring break
3. and oh yes, there was the possibility that the zoo would have been closed indefinitely had the senate/congress/president not passed the budget
I can be a bit cynical about zoos, but at heart, I love them. I cherish the opportunity to see a panda bear sitting back on its haunches eating bamboo, the Walter-Matthau-like elephants and their knobbiness, the roar of lions (they roared while we were there!), the disconcerting proportions of silverback gorillas, and so much more.
Books are great, pictures of animals are helpful, but seeing an animal move, eat, breathe is revealing.
Several events pushed this activity to the top of the list:
1. the weather has been perfect
2. we wanted to go before it was crawling with kids on spring break
3. and oh yes, there was the possibility that the zoo would have been closed indefinitely had the senate/congress/president not passed the budget
I can be a bit cynical about zoos, but at heart, I love them. I cherish the opportunity to see a panda bear sitting back on its haunches eating bamboo, the Walter-Matthau-like elephants and their knobbiness, the roar of lions (they roared while we were there!), the disconcerting proportions of silverback gorillas, and so much more.
Books are great, pictures of animals are helpful, but seeing an animal move, eat, breathe is revealing.
12 April 2011
blueberry-rhubarb muffins
Friends, I've been in the kitchen.
I decided to make blueberry muffins last week and while rummaging in the freezer for the berries, I had to move a bag of frozen rhubarb. Eureka!
So, I made blueberry-rhubarb muffins instead and The Hubby is very happy about this development. He calls these the best muffins ever. And I am totally in love with rhubarb again. A lovely vegetable that I've been neglecting for years. Guess I need to make up for lost time: I've been doubling this batch and sharing with the neighbors.
This recipe is inspired by one I found in an old Williams-Sonoma cookbook.
Ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat flour
2/3 c. turbinado sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. milk
1/2 c. melted butter
2 eggs
2 c. frozen blueberries
1 c. frozen rhubarb
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter standard muffin tins. (Be generous with the butter, especially when it comes to the creases, or you'll regret it when it's time to remove the baked muffins.)
In a medium bowl, stir and toss together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together the milk, butter and eggs until smooth. Add the combined dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Add the blueberries and rhubarb and stir just until evenly incorporated.
Spoon into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15-20 minutes.* Let cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove.
Makes about 16 standard muffins.
*A few years back I decided to cave and buy an oven thermometer, at the recommendation of some cookbook author. And it has made such a difference in my baking and cooking experiences. Oven temperatures - no matter their age - are surprisingly temperamental. My oven in Arizona is 15 degrees off the mark. My oven in Virginia is 50 degrees (!!!) off the mark. I can only imagine the disasters I'd be creating (and ruining) if I couldn't tell the true temperature of my oven. Go buy an oven thermometer: it's worth the money.
I decided to make blueberry muffins last week and while rummaging in the freezer for the berries, I had to move a bag of frozen rhubarb. Eureka!
So, I made blueberry-rhubarb muffins instead and The Hubby is very happy about this development. He calls these the best muffins ever. And I am totally in love with rhubarb again. A lovely vegetable that I've been neglecting for years. Guess I need to make up for lost time: I've been doubling this batch and sharing with the neighbors.
This recipe is inspired by one I found in an old Williams-Sonoma cookbook.
Ingredients:
2 c. whole wheat flour
2/3 c. turbinado sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 c. milk
1/2 c. melted butter
2 eggs
2 c. frozen blueberries
1 c. frozen rhubarb
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter standard muffin tins. (Be generous with the butter, especially when it comes to the creases, or you'll regret it when it's time to remove the baked muffins.)
In a medium bowl, stir and toss together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together the milk, butter and eggs until smooth. Add the combined dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Add the blueberries and rhubarb and stir just until evenly incorporated.
Spoon into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15-20 minutes.* Let cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove.
Makes about 16 standard muffins.
*A few years back I decided to cave and buy an oven thermometer, at the recommendation of some cookbook author. And it has made such a difference in my baking and cooking experiences. Oven temperatures - no matter their age - are surprisingly temperamental. My oven in Arizona is 15 degrees off the mark. My oven in Virginia is 50 degrees (!!!) off the mark. I can only imagine the disasters I'd be creating (and ruining) if I couldn't tell the true temperature of my oven. Go buy an oven thermometer: it's worth the money.
11 April 2011
library love
I just stumbled over this great story at NPR and wanted to share. The Library Card As A Pop-Culture Fiend's Ticket to Geek Paradise. Hope you enjoy it.
Also, Happy National Library Week!
We are going to bring our favorite librarian a bouquet of flowers, check out a wagon full of books and rejoin the Friends of the Library Association.
How are you going to celebrate?
Also, Happy National Library Week!
We are going to bring our favorite librarian a bouquet of flowers, check out a wagon full of books and rejoin the Friends of the Library Association.
How are you going to celebrate?
eggs & hydrangeas & ivy
One of The Hubby's friends raises chickens and geese on his acreage and generously shares them with all who are interested.
We provide all the compost we can along with $2 and, in return, we receive a dozen eggs. Or in this case, the equivalent of a dozen eggs. That huge egg is a goose egg. I'd count that as two eggs, wouldn't you? Each week we receive a different offering. My favorite are the blue ones, which are sadly absent from this photo.
In related news: after doing an intense backyard flower bed scour, I discovered that we have (according to a knowledgeable neighbor) a soon-to-be-blue hydrangea living by the back gate. Hydrangeas need a bit of an acidic boost to turn blue, so we are saving eggshells and coffee grounds to add to its soil.
There is something pleasing and cyclical when I realize that my blue eggshells may help "blue" my hydrangea.
Also, I am covered head to toe in poison ivy blisters as a result of my overly ambitious gardening activities. I have been to Urgent Care twice and am doped up on steroids and pain medications. I look like a leper.
I miss the (poison-ivy-free) desert.
10 April 2011
cancelled
Because of the budget wrangling and general madness that has descended upon Washington D.C., my eagerly awaited Smithsonian-sponsored photography workshop (that was scheduled for April 10) has been cancelled.
All is well, though. Just signing up for the class gave me the incentive to read my entire camera manual. And just yesterday I reserved a stack of photography books from the library so I can dig in, regardless of bipartisan politics.
All is well, though. Just signing up for the class gave me the incentive to read my entire camera manual. And just yesterday I reserved a stack of photography books from the library so I can dig in, regardless of bipartisan politics.
08 April 2011
5 more people I'd like to meet
1. Beatrix Potter
2. Amelia Earhart
3. Keri Smith
4. Nikki McClure
5. Harper Lee
How about you? Whom would you most like to meet?
2. Amelia Earhart
3. Keri Smith
4. Nikki McClure
5. Harper Lee
How about you? Whom would you most like to meet?
06 April 2011
by maya angelou
"Every human being has paid the earth to grow up. Most people don't grow up. It's too damn difficult. What happens is most people get older. That's the truth of it. They honor their credit cards, they find parking spaces, they marry, they have the nerve to have children, but they don't grow up. Not really. They get older. But to grow up costs the earth. It means you take responsibility for the time you take up, for the space you occupy. It's serious business. And you find what it costs us to love and to lose, to dare and to fail. And maybe even more, to succeed. What it costs, in truth. Not superficial costs - anybody can have that - I mean in truth."
04 April 2011
#24
It surprises me how happy I get each time I accomplish something on my List.
No joke, it makes me glow with happiness. There have been moments when I looked at my List and wondered what I was thinking to put together something so ambitious. (And when I say "ambitious" I am, of course, referring to my little world. I know that I am not even close to winning a Nobel Prize or playing in the Final Four or doing anything truly, globally ambitious.)
The reality is, the truth is, I LOVE lists. They are my great motivator.
Anyway, over the weekend I got to cross another one off the List. I bought that University of Iowa alumni license plate frame, installed it and then washed my car by hand.
Good.
No joke, it makes me glow with happiness. There have been moments when I looked at my List and wondered what I was thinking to put together something so ambitious. (And when I say "ambitious" I am, of course, referring to my little world. I know that I am not even close to winning a Nobel Prize or playing in the Final Four or doing anything truly, globally ambitious.)
The reality is, the truth is, I LOVE lists. They are my great motivator.
Anyway, over the weekend I got to cross another one off the List. I bought that University of Iowa alumni license plate frame, installed it and then washed my car by hand.
Good.
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