Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country’ Category

Dogs

Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , , , on October 9, 2011| 1 Comment »

They’re on the road again. “The band’s on the bus… And they’re waiting to go We’ve got to drive all night and do a show in Chicago Or Detroit, I don’t know We do so many shows in a row And these towns all look the same We just pass the time in our hotel rooms And wander ’round backstage Till those lights come up and we hear that crowd And we remember why we came…” …OK, so I have a thing for Jackson Browne, don’t blame me, I just sing that way. Whiny and soulful.

the Bride and the Rocker

I’d like to thank my kind neighbors, Polli, Stacy, Sheila, you know who you are, who endured the Rocker’s teenage years with his first band in our Jersey garage. No one ever called the police or complained about the noise level, even after a noise ordinance was passed by the Borough and I had to write it up in the newspaper. He wasn’t the drummer, he always played guitar and would sing. But for some reason, probably having to do with those kind neighbors, the drums stayed set up in our garage. Almost every day after high school, I’d supply the soda and offer up snacks like bagel dogs and ask them to keep it down to a low roar. Our garage was the last stop for a Heavy Metal angst from neighboring Monmouth schools who played clubs up and down the shoreline.

The new Parlor Mob album “Dogs” comes out on Tuesday, 10/11. They’ll be playing The Horseshoe in West Toronto that night. I’ve already pre-ordered Dogs on iTunes.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/dogs/id460723913

TPM flew out to LA this past week, packed the Viper Room, sold out shows on the way, rocked radio PR meetings, and will be packing it up for Canada tomorrow. Then they return to play to their hometown fans at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park later this week. Once the record starts selling, I’m pretty sure their Booking Agent will ship them off to Europe again, where they have won over legions with their bluesy/rock hybrid style.

The Mob’s new single “Into the Sun” is available now, and I can guarantee, it’s a far cry from my garage with the beat up sofa and the big American flag hanging over the door.

The boys have grown up and they’ll be back in town again. Maybe I’ll see you on the road? Their show is really something, rousing, raucous and beautiful. I’m proud of you all, love and luck to Mark, Paul, Sam and Tony and to my Rocker, I love you More! Rock ON!! Roadrunner Records has their tour dates here: http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/tour/search.aspx?artistID=1137&stateID=0&countryID=0


					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
			

				

					
Druthers

					

					Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , ,  on October 6, 2011|
													Leave a Comment »											

				


				

					
“One’s own way, choice, or preference.” This is the Word of the Day on dictionary.com today. I open up this site whenever I sit down to write so that I can effortlessly check spellings or meaning. In the old days I had a huge Oxford English Dictionary by my desk, which sat in a corner of my dining room. Now I can blog (aka write) on a bike at the gym, upload photos, even video, and post (aka publish) all at the same time, while working out, on my iPhone. And for this I have Steve Jobs to thank!


Which brings me back to “druthers.” Everyone knows he was a college drop-out, that he started his own movie company when he was booted from Apple (in part for his “abrasive personality”), and that he continued to design and innovate after a liver transplant and a devastating cancer diagnosis. What rings true to me about Steve, and most other inventors who were told that “it” can’t be done, is they pressed ahead. In some way, sticking to doing something their own way, going against the fold, being abrasively focused on a goal, is what got them to the next big thing.


The iPhone I’m using is my very first Apple product, but it was love from the get-go. Still getting to learn its innermost secrets, it has now, three months later, been replaced by the iPhone 5. But that’s OK, Bob has the older model iPad too, so we are limping toward the technological future together. He can’t skype, but I can do facetime. So if I had my druthers, the word of the day for me is “Intuitive.” I was showing a fellow knitter yesterday how I text my kids on the iPhone, she was worried it would be too hard to learn. I watched as she slid a keyboard out of her phone and went through the next few steps in order to text.


So thank you Steve Jobs, for daring to dream big, for never giving up, for your incredible intuition.


<object width=”560″ height=”315″><param name=”movie” value=”http://www.youtube.com/v/ia4joyGYG_A?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0″></param><param name=”allowFullScreen” value=”true”></param><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always”></param></object>

					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
			

				

					
Early Autumn

					

					Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , ,  on October 4, 2011|
													2 Comments »											

				


				

					
“When an early autumn walks the land, and chills the breeze…” Oh Ella, you had me on the first note. Deep down, I want to be a torch singer. But for now, I’ll share my six worded memoir of Fall so far:


1) Peaceable       


2) Transitional 


3) Redeemable    


4) Inconceivable     


5) Autumnal  


6) Magical    

					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
			

				

					
More Fiber, Please

					

					Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , ,  on October 2, 2011|
													Leave a Comment »											

				


				

					
Bob, our friend Al and I had a great time at Montpelier’s Fall Fiber Festival yesterday. Montpelier is the home of James Madison, situated northeast of us in Orange County. Hands down, this is my favorite festival of the year. http://www.fallfiberfestival.org/sheepdog-trials.htm  Why?


Bob and Al


First: They have Sheep Dog Trials. Yes, shepherds stand in the field and whistle a certain tune to make their dogs herd some sheep. It’s almost like being back in Ireland and watching this happen for real, on my cousin Mary Gilboy’s working farm. If the dog nips at a stray sheep, he’s eliminated. Just watching those crafty black and white dogs crouch down and start running three balls of wool through gates and fences made me think I’ve got to plan more exercise for Ms Bean.




Second: They have Sheep, Goats, Llamas and Alpacas! There were sheep I’d never heard of before, like Scottish Blackface Sheep from Braeburn Farm in Roseland. And oh do they have soulful eyes and the prettiest coats you ever did see! It’s nice to know these animals are living a good life, being bred for their beautiful fiber that is shorn in the Spring. Did you know that cashmere fiber is just the downy undercoat of a certain type of goat? And that it is eight times warmer than wool and one third lighter in weight?




Third: They have All Things to do with Fiber Arts! Weaving, spinning, knitting, crocheting, dyeing, hand-painting, pottery. Sue Henshaw is a potter who makes bowls that will skillfully display your yarn and keep two skeins separate next to your favorite knitting chair: http://www.suehenshawpottery.com


My friend DeeDee Greer’s husband Bill has been making small looms for hand weaving rugs and placemats with their alpaca rovings. I still think their Rivanna River Alpaca yarns are the yummiest.




Bob and Bill


Fourth: They have Kettle Corn! And speaking of munchies and fiber, and thinking of Bob and Al and his newspaper taxi, you probably heard about Cheech and Chong signing on with an ad agency to sell the health benefits of Fiber One brand brownies? No, well here it is Baby Boomers: http://www.fiberone.com/magicbrownie/   You’ve got to admit, this is comic genius.

					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
			

				

					
The Book of Life

					

					Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged ,  on September 29, 2011|
													3 Comments »											

				


				

					
When our children were young, we would walk to the river and stand on the rocks in contemplation. Usually our daughter, who liked to be first at most things, would dig a hand into her pocket and pull out a speck of pocket dust. One by one, all four of us would throw our tiny pocket-sized flecks of cotton dust into the water. Because this is the start of the Jewish New Year, and we knew it was time to think about our “faults.” In this quiet time of self-examination, Jews all over the world were symbolically shedding their sins (my term) in order to start over – to begin anew. One by one, all of our shortcomings could be thrown into the river and washed away.


Growing up Catholic, I always knew that whatever I did during the week, I need only confess to a priest on Friday and all would be forgiven. I’m a sucker for pomp and tradition. I loved marching to a beautiful grotto dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the forest around Camp St Joseph for Girls. Singing Ave Maria with the nuns there among the sun-dappled trees, gave me goose bumps. But in this ancient tradition of Bob’s family, we only had one shot at forgiveness. On Rosh Hashana God opened the Book of Life, and for Ten Days of Awe, He (or She) would inscribe the names of those who would be admitted to heaven. On Yom Kippur, the Book is closed. Ten days out of 365 to get it right. Ten days to make amends and start over.


Christian, Agnostic, Jewish, Atheist, Muslim, or Hindu, Buddhist or Hedonist, whatever you profess to believe – even you Secular Humanists and Unitarians out there, on these holiest of days in the Jewish calendar, I wish you a sweet year. And I sincerely pray that the Israelis and Palestinians will break bread together.


					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
			

				

					
When Less is More

					

					Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged ,  on September 27, 2011|
													Leave a Comment »											

				


				

					
What an amazing Tuesday morning. Half-asleep, I opened the kitchen door after serving doggie breakfast and immediately regretted it. There were two small polka-dotted fawns strolling by the tree line. I watched Miss Bean saunter belly-full out on the deck and stand perfectly still. What was she thinking? Now any normal dog would have either crouched down, trying the slow and steady approach, or started full throttle running off the deck. Not my Bean, not even a bark. She just stood there in rapt attention, finally settling into her usual “head between the rails” default position after they disappeared.


Bean on Guard Duty


To continue with a “less is more” theme for this tasty Tuesday, I thought I’d share a delicious Portuguese fish recipe that makes me think of my friend, Maria. Swordfish was on sale and I love cooking it this way. Five ingredients and one pan easy! First saute one garlic clove and half of an onion in EVOO. Then add one can of organic fire-roasted tomatoes and any other tomatoes and peppers from the garden. I cut the 1.3 lb swordfish steak into five generous chunks and placed them lovingly on top of this sauce along with a beautiful long, green Japanese eggplant cut into chunks that I found at the City market. Simmer for about 15 minutes and Voila! I served this over sourdough bread.


Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures but luckily I did for the next night’s dinner. My trinity rule of thumb is that you can eat leftovers for three days. The only exception is fish – two days max. So since I am still cooking for four, it’s important to creatively improvise with leftovers. Here is what I did with Portuguese Swordfish, take 2 – make a delicious fish stew by adding:


    

  • 1 small box of organic veggie broth + some water
    • 

  • chopped purple beans from the City Market
    • 

  • chopped okra fresh from the garden
    • 

  • more chopped peppers (include one jalapeno)
    • 

  • fresh herbs like rosemary and basil
    • 



If I had a sweet potato I would have added that too. Purple beans turn green when you cook them; and a 2 year old shelter dog named Miss Bean knows when and where to expend her energy. Either that or my prey-driven pup has developed compassion. Do we know when less is more?



					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
			

				

					
City Market

					

					Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged , ,  on September 24, 2011|
													Leave a Comment »											

				


				

					
Perfect morning at the market. Bob scored a Popsicle, I ran into my Purchase Potters (otherwise known as Hawksbill from Charlottesville) and had a nice chat with Cynthia the bagellini lady!

SUNY College at Purchase was pretty experimental for a state school. I danced with Bill Bales and created a senior project you can still find in their library. Just ask the Rocker, he saw it when he was interviewing there. The bride has Hawksbill mugs, and I have their plates. Beautiful. Done rambling, see for yourself.


20110924-122711.jpg


20110924-122757.jpg


20110924-122816.jpg


20110924-122849.jpg


20110924-122916.jpg

					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
			

				

					
Moral Truth

					

					Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged ,  on September 22, 2011|
													2 Comments »											

				


				

					
Does morality matter? Is it an objective or a subjective experience? These are questions for philosophers, but last week I found myself tackling them while riding a stationary bike at a hotel gym. I like to read The New Yorker while exercising; expanding my mind a little as well as strengthening my knees. The article, by Larissa MacFarquhar, was titled “How to be Good.” Intriguing. It was all about one of today’s most brilliant philosophers, an Oxford recluse named Derek Parfit.




http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/09/05/110905fa_fact_macfarquhar


Parfit, after distilling the best ideas from Greek philosophers and more modern principles of morality like Kant, thinks there are universally true answers to moral questions, almost in the same way mathematics has concrete answers. These truths, obtained through intuition and critical reasoning, remain the same whether we humans are able to perceive them (hence the term “universal”), or not.  Buddhist monks have been known to teach from his first book, “Reasons and Persons,” much to his surprise. And now he has published an epic tome, “On What Matters.”


“Is the truth depressing? Some may find it so, but I find it liberating, and consoling.” Parfit


Why even try to explain his philosophy in 400 words or less? Because this morning I learned that the state of Georgia just put a man, Troy Davis, to death, and because I had always believed in the death penalty, and because, thanks in no small part to my children, I no longer do. Will there always be grey areas for me? Yes, but… Parfit’s main idea is that rules of morality, those which might be accepted by all, would also have the best possible consequences – this is called “…rule-consequentialism.” In the case of a state-sponsored execution, we have to ask what is the best consequence to a country, a state or the doctor pushing that syringe?


I wonder why our country is still imposing the death penalty. According to Amnesty International, we rank as the fifth highest country still performing legal executions; right behind Yemen, North Korea, Iran and no.1 – China. “The death penalty has been abolished for all crimes by every country in Western Europe. In Eastern Europe the Russian Federation has held a moratorium on executions and death sentences for more than 10 years.” What would Parfit have to say about this? If in fact he believes that  life, as do I, cannot be arbitrary, then neither can death.

					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
			

				

					
Into the Sun

					

					Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged  on September 20, 2011|
													Leave a Comment »											

				


				

					
Hard driving, pure rock. Here it is, Parlor Mob’s newest video coming out of the shadows. Kudos to Mark, Dave, Paul, Tony and Sam! Release date 10/11 and don’t miss the Stone Pony show on October 14th which will feature Plus Plus Minus (Jed Higgerson of Hello Lovely, Lisa Cusack-English of boy/girl, and Quinn English of The Gay Blades).


					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
			

				

					
The Carousel of Time

					

					Posted in Books, Journaling, Wedding, Country, tagged ,  on September 18, 2011|
													Leave a Comment »											

				


				

					
First weekend back from Nashville, Bob and I hiked up the hill to Monticello’s 5th Annual Harvest Festival, for the first time. There were banjos in abundance, heritage seed swappings, a demo from the White House Pastry Chef, hard cider tastings, and a cheese truck. Needless to say, I was in heaven. Found out that the President and his family only have dessert on the weekends. And their favorite dessert? Pie! Mostly fruit pies in season.


On our way back down the mountain, Bob said, “It’s like Woodstock, only without the mud.” He waxed nostalgically about the school bus, while I thought about the Newlyweds at the Austin City Limits Music Festival – a modern day version of Peace and Love. It felt like “Back to the Future” when the Rocker’s awesome new Parlor Mob music video debuted on my iPhone at a rest stop in TN… on the long trek home from the Music City, listening to an audiobook alternately with my son’s Rock and my son-in-law’s Bluegrass/Indie music. Check out The Bourbon Family, they are pretty great: http://bourbonfamily.bandcamp.com/


Bourbon Family


“And the seasons, they go round and round and the painted ponies go up and down.” Luckily Bob stopped me from singing Joni Mitchell in public.  Now I am inspired to keep bees and plant fruit trees. And maybe, just maybe, learn to play the dulcimer. And most definitely hit up a karaoke bar!










 

					
Read Full Post »

				

							


		
		
« Newer Posts - Older Posts »