Oliver Jeffers

It's been awhile since a painting sparked more than a cursory interest, much less left a deeper fire burning in my gut once I discovered the rest of the artist's work. Oliver Jeffers is one such artist, and damn, does it feel good to find someone to get excited about again!

Still life with light and lightbulb

This Irish fellow turned New Yorker is probably best known for his children's books, but it's his other work that took my breath away. Whimsy and an appealing aesthetic aside, it's the wit he infuses his paintings with that is especially compelling. 'Still life with logic and a choice of beverage', and his other pieces that include mathematical equations, are some of my favorite.

Still life with logic and choice of beverage

2013 dream jar

When I stumbled across this dream jar tutorial on the Free People blog, I knew I needed to put one together. It's sort of a magical way capture your dreams, right? Mine? It has a bit of a map and torn ticket stubs for travel, bits of vintage lace for creativity, a piece of granite for the great outdoors, and a polaroid for love :-)

5 things you need to keep in mind when eating barbecue in Texas

I am by no means a barbecue savant. Still, you can guarantee I'll (1) always have barbecue when I travel back to Texas and (2) crave it when I'm hanging around vegans. I didn't leave San Angelo on my most recent trip, but I managed to eat at both Bodacious Bar-B-Q and Bubba's. As I was scooping ice out of Bubba's cooler, it occurred to me that there are five things* you need to keep in mind when eating barbecue in Texas.

1. There will always be a loaf of white bread on the table.
2. Do not think about whose hands have been inside that bag.
3. Things could get messy, so make sure you've also got the roll of paper towels.
4. It's as much about the sides as it is the meat.
5. Speaking of meat, you'll probably have to pick out your own. Don't worry, I've never seen them name it.


*These things may hold true in other states, too, but it hasn't been my experience with Virginia barbecue.

My story as told by water, part III

Not all of my early years in the water happened in swimming pools.

When you think of Texas, water probably isn't something that you immediately associate with the state. Water is a daily part of life in Texas, especially whether or not it will rain. We talk a lot about rain...and dust. Still, we were lucky enough to have a few local watering holes.

The photo above was taken at Lake Nasworthy*, locally known as Lake Nasty Water. I don't really know why we called it that. Perhaps because of its mucky bottom? We only ever went to the lake for events. It wasn't the kind of place--we weren't the kind of people--to go hang out at the lake just because. In fact, my memories of it are spotty at best and largely associated with driving past it on my way to the airport or hanging out at my friend Audrey's house on the water. Audrey had a ferret, saved spiders and would find snakes in the grass near the boat launch. She was the closest thing to an outdoorsy friend that I had. To the younger me, she was both crazy and exotic.

There was one 4th of July where we joined the throngs of people headed to the lake, the car packed tightly with lawn chairs and blankets, to enjoy the fireworks. Even that was more about the cacophony of sounds and tepid display of lights than the water. The only time I remember actually going in the water was during a group picnic-brouhaha-thing at the university lake house. Lacking the carefree nature of my friends and acquaintances, I was the girl in cheap, slip-on water shoes edging her way into the water and squirming as her feet sank further in the mud. 

*I'm going to spare you the lecture on how I now know it's a reservoir. False advertising!

(January) Creating an inviting home

The title is a bit disingenuous. I've always been the type of person to immediately unpack after moving, don't hesitate to get art up on the wall and am always making minor adjustments. Still, there have been a few pieces--nightstands, dresser--I've been looking for since I moved into the new space last February. I decided to take my goal of creating more and focus on my apartment in January.

The shot above is a tiny corner of my bedroom. I finally found a bedside table that fit my aesthetic (and that can very easily become something else when I change my mind). Even more exciting though is the locker/cabinet I stenciled! Inspired by Victoria's bathroom makeover, I snagged the Ikea atran medicine cabinet and created a stencil to spiff it up. I think it will be a great place to hide lotion for my dry hands, vitamins I always forget to take and other odds and ends. A friend suggested I use it for me salacious purposes, but that's another conversation for another time. :-)

I've got more home projects up my sleeve that I'll share when done. The downside (upside?) is that this is only making me want to spend the winter months snuggled up at home even more.

Blazing trails in Prince William Forest Park

I'm lucky that I sometimes get to spend time outside as part of my job. I didn't really grow up outdoorsy, and many of my other favorite activities are indoor affairs. Let's not discuss how I feel about bugs. So, you can imagine how long it took me to make the connection between the exhilarating high of fresh air and exertion with my treks to rivers all across the country.

I've finally managed to put two and two together and decided to try to incorporate a bit of hiking into my weekend. This Saturday I convinced Ravena to come with me to Prince William Forest Park to hike down to a waterfall on Quantico Creek. I needed to evaluate its ability to pass fish for a future potential project and figured I could kill two birds with one stone. Also, I'm secretly trying to convince Ravena (also my gym buddy) that we should replace a day in the gym with outdoor hikes.

The parking lot for the trail in question was full, and the next lot was about 2 miles away. We ended up at the further lot, but my rogue nature kicked in. I was not interested in walking back along the road to the official trail and was more into blazing our own path. We took off into the woods with me trying to navigate with Google maps (hello, urban park) and the compass on my iphone. I was like a modern Meriweather Lewis.

Can I admit to being a little scared? I was a little scared. The park is pretty big, and once you're a ways into the woods, it all really does start to look the same. I knew that by continuing to move downhill we would run into the river, but what about when we turned to head back? I may have freaked out (internally) when Google maps suddenly put me in a completely different location.

P.S. If you can't handle conversations that begin with "what would you do for water if we got lost and were trapped out here for days", you probably don't want to go on an adventure with me :-)

My reading year*, 2012

Clearly, I don't inhale books in the way that I do movies. If movies are my fast food (cheap, lacking in nutritional value and quickly forgotten), the written word is a meal at The French Laundry. You don't want to shove it into your mouth while barreling down the road listening to a podcast. I can read quickly and spent many years mainlining books. At this point in my life, I just choose not to. Getting lost in a story and putting off the inevitable end are where it's at!

January 2012

The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir about Writing and Life by Ann Patchett
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

March 2012

Fifty Shades of Gray by E.L. James
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

April 2012

Uncivil Seasons by Michael Malone
Time's Witness by Michael Malone

July 2012

Shadow of Night (All Soul's Trilogy #2) by Deborah Harkness
Blackout (Newsflesh Trilogy #3) by Mira Grant

September 2012

The Passage by Justin Cronin

October 2012

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

*Inspired by, and borrowed from, Austin Kleon (one of my favorite, most enlightening people to follow).

My watching year*, 2012

What movies did I spend my money and time consuming in 2012**? See my full of titles below.

Favorites
Argo, Looper and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter are battling it out for my top pick.

Secret loves I know you'll judge
Battleship, 21 Jump Street and Breaking Dawn Part II

You probably shouldn't waste your money
I love Johnny Depp, but I really regretted Dark Shadows.

Want to see last year's list?

Chronicle
This Means War
21 Jump Street
Hunger Games
Cabin in the Woods
Bernie
Avengers
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Dark Shadows
Battleship
MIB 3
Brave

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter 

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Magic Mike
Dark Knight Rises
Step Up 4
Paranorman
Looper
Pitch Perfect
Argo
Wreck-it Ralph
Breaking Dawn, Part II
Red Dawn
The Hobbit

*Inspired by, and borrowed from, Austin Kleon (one of my favorite, most enlightening people to follow).
**Only includes the movies I watched that debuted in 2012.

Proceed at your own risk, otherwise known as my path for 2013

According to the great Google, free is (among other things) to be able to act or do as one wishes or without cost or payment. Free time, then, should be that period of time where you can do whatever you want with little regard to cost. However, cost, particularly to the multifaceted among us, cannot be ignored. As someone who enjoys pursuing many different things, there are inherent tradeoffs I make on a daily basis when I decide how to spend my free time. 

Once my adult chores* are taken care of, every hour not spent at work is mine for filling with all of the things, people and activities I love. This, my dears, is the glory and selfishness of choosing to remain childless. I spend much of this time in the role of consumer or creator**. I am a pop culture and history fiend, and as such, curling up on the couch with a good book or settling into a dark theater for a movie or play recharges me. Articles and essays inspire and educate me. I take in. I consume, cramming my brain with more, more, more. This, however, leaves little time for creating things of my own, for turning the scraps of paper and ideas stored in the dark reaches of my brain into actual things. This is my tradeoff.

2012 was a very good year, but in this new year, I want to flip the equation. I'm not coming up with official resolutions, but my focus for 2013 is going to be on creation. Let's see what we can make happen!

*Cleaning, bill paying, errands, meal planning. What? You don't call them chores?
**There are also the roles of giver and doer, but I'm not going to address those, since I spend roughly 50 hours a week giving and doing at a nonprofit in exchange for a meager salary. Passion versus profit, my friend.

December in West Texas

I'm currently home in Texas enjoying the holidays with my family. While I'm here, I've been sure to gather stories, think about goals for 2013 and work on finishing that book I started writing.

See you in the new year!

I love marshmallows, or highlights from my birthday day camp

I'm still embroiled in attempts to meet my Nanowrimo goals. I'm most definitely behind but am feeling really good about where things are headed. Anyway, I took a little break to finally celebrate my birthday. We were originally headed out to Western Maryland to sleep in a yurt, but schedules just wouldn't cooperate. Instead, the day's theme was Birthday Day Camp! I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Farewell, October

October and November are two of my favorite months of the year. Like most everyone else, I get all silly for fall traditions, layered fashion and warm drinks. I don't know about you, but this year my October was pretty much a blur. All told, I probably spent more than two weeks of it out of town. Still, it's amazing how many good times you can cram into the open spaces when you try.





October was filled with...
- West Virginia, specifically Elkins, the Monogahela and the Canaan Valley
- Out of town visitors (aka Allie from Germany and Terra back from Seattle)
- Ukelele concert at Strathmore with Steven and more work trips down to Staunton
- Riding out Hurricane Sandy in Philly with these guys
- Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
This month I've got a pretty spectacular birthday to dream up, even more work and am planning to finally tackle NaNoWriMo (5,074 words and counting). I'll see you on the other side!

slow cooker pumkin chicken chili

This chili is such a surprise. As I was putting the ingredients into my slow cooker, I knew I should be grossed out by the combination of flavors. Instead, I was rewarded with a tasty dish and an apartment that smelled like Fall always should.

Inspired by these recipes from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice and A Beautiful Mess.

1 can (14 ounce) diced tomatoes

1 can (14 ounce) pumpkin puree

1 cup chicken broth

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 packet mild chili seasoning

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 dashes of cinnamon

1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts or cutlets, skin and visible fat removed

1 can (14 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained  

Note: I made this recipe in a 2-quart slow cooker. 

I dislike chunky cooked tomatoes, so I pulsed the diced tomatoes in my Magic Bullet for a couple of seconds first. Add tomatoes, chicken broth and pumpkin to the slow cooker. Whisk until well combined. Add garlic, chili seasoning, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper and stir once again. Add chicken and chickpeas. Cook 4-5 hours on high or 6-8 on low.

I added whole wheat pearl couscous before cozying up with a bowl and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Vote 2012 - Election Pinning

I guess you could say I'm political. I'm not obsessive to the point of only reading, talking and breathing politics. Oh, you don't know those people? Avoid DC if you don't want to. Still, I was raised to give a damn and to get as involved as possible. I read candidate biographies, study up on the issues I care about, try to track positions from a variety of sources and talk a lot of smack just for fun. I've even volunteered and worked for candidates at different points in my life.

Anyway, I've been struggling with how to express myself this election. Over the last few (er..12) years, I slide into cynicism now and then. This election cycle I've finally found myself getting pissed again, needing to speak out. To fulfill this need, I've come up with a couple of fun* ways to get political on here between now and November 6.

First up is a pinboard I created to help me work through what I'm looking for in a candidate. I've included a few above, but you can check all my pins here.  Given that Pinterest is such a visual tool, I don't really feel it's an ideal forum for issues or advocacy (others would disagree). I had a hard time finding good photos of issues that weren't protected. I finally found my footing when I began to stumble across typography and quotes.

Sources: big oil/coal, visionary, education, poor


*I'd rather save my impassioned rants for issues, legislation, etc.

Nonfiction Reading List

I love Amy's idea of creating your own self-paced history course. Nonfiction was my jam while I worked part-time at the bookstore, but lately, I've been all about fiction. Her list got me thinking about some of the titles that I've been considering and ways I can round out my to-read list.

I think I may have to pick up Midnight Rising in anticipation of the upcoming movie, Lincoln!

• Midnight Rising by Tony Horowitz - Lincoln, the John Brown raid in Harper's Ferry and the Civil War!
• 1861: The Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart - I love everything I heard about this book last year on Slate. The Civil War as imagined through the day to day lives of the average person. Storytelling at its best.
• Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America by Cameron McWhirter
• Salem Possessed: Social Origins of Witchcraft by Paul Boyer - I have an odd fascination with witchcraft from an historical and alchemical perspective.
• Annals of the Former World by John McPhee - The river and geology geek in me has been wanting to read this for years!
• Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963 by Taylor Branch
• Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-1965 by Taylor Branch
• At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968 by Taylor Branch

My story as told by water, part II

I don't recall being aware of how incredibly hot Texas was until high school. It's as if someone flipped a switch, and I suddenly realized how much I despised sweating or the way in which my hair would cling to my face. Still, memories of swimming pools and summers spent in the water have been a part of my story since my beginning.

Summer after summer being driven to lessons at the San Angelo Municipal Pool, a cool Pueblo-style building built during the '30s by the WPA. It's where I learned all those fancy strokes and eventually took the lifesaving course where you learn to take off your jeans and turn them into a flotation device.  All the while my grandma watched from stadium-like steps along the side.

I remember my eyes, red from heavy doses of chlorine, and how I wore that embarrassing nose clip to keep from inhaling water. Quickstepping across the sizzling concrete trying to avoid scraping up the bottoms of my feet. I know they made it rough to prevent slipping, but wasn't it painful?!

The just-for-fun swimming trips were always to Brown's Pool. It was on "our" side of town and right next door to a trailer park. The dressing rooms were grungy, but they had the best tubes for floating and a high dive. Note my graceful diving skills in the photo above.

There was the above-ground pool we had in the back yard with the deck built by my grandpa (see backwards swan dive above) and afternoons spent floating on my back, looking up at the clouds. A couple of summers even involved competitive swim club at a local high school. As I grew up, there were pool parties at my friend Cindy's and perhaps a bit more self consciousness at the thought of putting on a swimsuit and actually getting in the water.

A part of me will always associate summer with concrete and chlorine.

Search for Stars Hollow: Hagerstown, MD

Not to knock on the fine folks of Hagerstown, but we should probably get something straight right up front. Hagerstown is no Stars Hollow.

Still, even if it's not my mythical Shangri-La, Hagerstown has some good things going for it. Hands down, best reason to visit Hagerstown is for the antique malls.



Clustered right down historic Route 40 are three solid places. Antique Crossroads is my favorite. While there are certainly some overpriced booths inside this massive building, they are definitely in the minority. You're almost guaranteed to find some great pyrex, mid-century tins and cake carriers, blue ball jars for $2/piece, and so much more. You just have to know which booths to visit. On a recent visit, I walked away from an amazing unicycle and the above dresser.

If you make it through Antique Crossroads and still have energy left, you can head to either Beaver Creek Antiques and A & J Antiques to continue shopping. If you head into downtown Hagerstown, you can get your craft on at the Potomac Bead Company or find a show to watch at The Maryland Theater (though I can't say I saw anything that piqued my interest).



One of my better finds on a recent trip was Hempen Hill BBQ. The venue is fun, waitstaff friendly and the food was fantastic!


They give you enough food for leftovers. And, yes, please forgive the lighting.

Even better is the fact that they have a great selection of vegan and vegetarian fare. As someone who inadvertently begins to crave barbecue when hanging out with vegan friends, this place is downright miraculous. Do yourself a favor and get the smoked mac and cheese.

After you've had a good meal, go for a stroll through some of the Civil War battlefields near Antietam or rent a canoe and paddle down the river.

A few figs from thistles

                                                                                   First Fig 

                                                                                   My candle burns at both ends; 
                                                                                       It will not last the night; 
                                                                                   But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends-- 
                                                                                       It gives a lovely light! 

                                                                                                 - Edna St.Vincent Millay

Another find from Saturday was a beautiful 1922 copy of Edna St. Vincent Millay's A Few Figs from Thistles. I couldn't walk away from something whose first few pages spoke to me so.

Sufferin' Succotash: More on Regional Foods

Remember last November when I mentioned a passing interest in regional food traditions? I don't think I ever followed that post up, but a couple of weeks later the Crooked Road cookbook I mentioned showed up on my doorstep (thanks, mom). Well, this has spawned a (slowly) growing collection of regional and/or historic cookbooks.

I picked up the above title while thrifting in Hagerstown on Saturday. It begins with an introduction to the region and its history and is chock full of recipes and little tidbits on things like why a certain recipe was important. Let's be honest. A lot of the recipes look pretty gross. There are recipes in there involving animal body parts that I never want to get to know. Still, I was determined to find something to whip up.

Enter the winter succotash! I've included the recipe below as it appears in the cookbook with the strikeouts and red reflecting my modifications. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly going for historical accuracy. :-)

winter succotash

1 cup lima beans (2 cups frozen)
2 quarts cold water
1/4 pound salt pork
1 can corn
1 3 tablespoon melted butter
1 2 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup cream (if desired)

Parboil the beans, then put in a kettle with the cold water and salt pork. (1/4 lb butter may be used instead of the pork). Cook for 3 hours, then add the corn, melted butter and flour. Cook 3/4 of an hour longer. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the cream and add just before serving.

I pretty much followed none of the actual cooking instructions, since I'm pretty sure they're based on using dry beans. I cooked the lima beans according to the directions on the package, draining them before adding in the corn, melted butter and flour. I cooked the mixture an additional 5-6 minutes before adding salt, pepper and a splash of cream.

Let's just say the Nova Scotians know how to take the healthy out of vegetables.

P.S. Speaking of food culture, I pulled out one of my grandma's seasonal potholders this weekend.

Research is fun when it involves a comics run

I've got a research project up my sleeve, and to kick it off, I ventured to Victory Comics on Saturday night. I wasn't a comic store virgin* (they have great toys), but I only know enough about comics to know how incredibly confusing it can be to dive right in. Instead, I took an ambassador (see above) to this foreign land.

Can I just tell you how much fun I had? I love passionate people. If you are obsessed with a hobby/job/issue, there's a pretty good chance I'll gravitate toward you. Comics people have passion in spades. They also aren't afraid to welcome you into their club**. I was clearly a poser and felt even worse going in asking about various Avengers spinoffs (research...just you wait!). Minus a bit of good-natured harassment, I spent over an hour monopolizing both the guy who worked there (aka Comic Dude) and Ravena (ambassador).

I went in with plans to pick up two comics for my project and left hoping that I discover a hidden love for comics in the volumes I picked up. As I told Comic Dude, two of my favorite things are art and reading so, theoretically, comics should be right up my alley. Holding up a compendium of The Walking Dead, he declared it a work of art with storytelling to rival some of the finest literature, and in that moment, I thought that maybe, just maybe, he was right.

*Both Austin Books & Comics (in Austin...duh) and Atomic Comics in Baltimore are impressive.
**Glen Weldon was right!