August List #4

Despite the everyone sitting death watch on the publishing industry, there are some mighty fine magazines out there. Some of my current must-reads include:

• The Gentlewoman - Rich format, thoughtful articles about smart women, fashion
• Matchbook - A relatively new e-pub a tad on the preppy side. Don't read it for the articles; peruse it if you feel like appeasing your consumerist side.
• Garden & Gun - 100% not what you think. I've only read the month above, but the articles had me wanting to roadtrip down south.
• Next American City - Reading this one screams dork, but I love it. I never fail to walk away with at least a few ideas after reading it.
• Preservation Magazine 
• Kinfolk - See Kinfolk.

August List #3

My summer reading list:

A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (in progress)
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Marberry (in progress)
The Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes (in progress)
Blood Oath (Nathaniel Cade Series #1) by Christopher Farnsworth
Deadline (Newsflesh Trilogy Series #2) by Mira Grant
Still Life with Crows (Special Agent Pendergast Series #4) by L. Child/D. Preston
Brimstone (Special Agent Pendergast Series #5) by L. Child/D. Preston
The Dance of Death (Special Agent Pendergast Series #6) by L. Child/D. Preston
The Book of the Dead (Special Agent Pendergast Series #7) by L. Child/D. Preston
The Wheel of Darkness (Special Agent Pendergast Series #8) by L. Child/D. Preston
Cemetery Dance (Special Agent Pendergast Series #9) by L. Child/D. Preston

August List #2

I'm devoting the rest of August to lists (consider yesterday #1). I find lists a little therapeutic and such an easy way to share information. List #2 are some of my favorite podcasts. These may not make your life complete, but they're bound to put a spring in your step (you know, if you have a soul).

Joy the Baker podcast (with Tracy of Shutterbean) - Believe it or not, this podcast really doesn't have much to do with baking and more to do with the utterly random. These girls are hilarious. Listen to them during your commute and turn a nightmare into a roadtrip with two people you know you want to be friends with.

How Did This Get Made - A group of comedians get together a trash crappy movies. Puts a smile on the face and saves you from convincing yourself that The Smurfs might be good.

NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour - I've mentioned this one before, but it really is a near perfect combination of high and low brow culture.

The Moth - Storytelling at its best.

Spilled Milk - Clearly I am attracted to people who don't take themselves too seriously. The folks at Spilled Milk deconstruct a seemingly random list of foods, all with an endless stream of laughter.

I've done of bit of cooking this summer (some hits, some misses). Here's a list of some things sure to become my new favorites.

• refreshing, light summer corn salad
• These black bean and sweet potato quesadillas kick much ass.
• This dip tastes so good on veggies. I don't even mind that it's vegan ;-)
• Whole Foods' Mexican Taco Stew is probably meant for winter, but it quickly my go-to. Great for dumping tons of random veggies into.
• I modified this one quite a bit, but you should be warned this chicken salad is addictive.

Got any recipes you want to share with me?

We're going on a bear hunt

Some days a friend has a marvelous idea...



...and you head off in search of adventure.



You watch the fog roll across mountain meadows...



...and set off with the hopes of getting just a little bit lost in it.



Then things went a tad awry (caught right before I got a little inappropriate with the statue).



Before we knew it, things got downright wild.

Desert life

Lake Nasworthy in 2007. Lake levels are currently said to be 0.   Photo by John Mueller

23 months water left in the city's supply.

Mesquite trees and cacti, both native to arid climates, are dying.

1.3 million gallons of water is evaporating daily.

The town is desperately considering tapping into an aquifer with higher than allowable levels of radium.

Less than 2.94 inches of rain this year. To date, driest year on record.

U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm promised the S.W. Freese Dam (when built in 1990) and reservoir would assure us that "generations that come after us will enjoy a good drink of water ...". It is now at 24% capacity. Brilliant politicians...so glad they have all the solutions.

Hell, indeed, might be a place on earth. San Angelo is at least making a go of ensuring the climate is just right.

Kinfolk

These days our lives often seem mired in "social" media with relationships being kindled, flourishing online. We've even developed acronyms (IRL) for friends and acquaintances we've spent physical time with. I've been feeling a bit like an anachronism lately for craving more in-person hang time and conversations.

An outing a couple of weekends ago only served to confirm the importance of meeting and getting to know our online "friends" in person. While having an online presence can let shy people have the opportunity to open up and be themselves, it's also all too easy for people to only give you what they think you want to see. Turns out charming, nice and seemingly caring online can be pompous and self-involved in person. Blatant calls for attention combined with constant commentary on body language and an attempt to "read" the rest of us at the table.

This isn't meant to be a rant. I've met some lovely people online. It's more a shout out for the genuine, small gathering. While I can't spend quality, in-person time with all of the people I love due to that pesky thing known as distance, taking time to connect and fellowship is where it's at*. I know I'm not alone. A group of mighty creative folks recently launched an online magazine in celebration of the small gathering. The debut issue of Kinfolk Mag is a beautiful homage to the communal experience. I was hooked the minute I read the first pull quote from the article by Saer Richards.

"It didn't take long for me to learn that my heart was endeared to small intimate gatherings, those that are defined by good food, great background music and honest conversation."

Let's hang out, shall we?


* Yes, that is a preposition I just ended on.

Lovin' me some chronic bitchface

Chronic Bitchface by Kris Atomic, available for sale here

Kris is brilliant. For years I have suffered from this affliction but have never had an official diagnosis! Ah...the relief. I've always told people in an offhanded way that I'm just not a natural smiler. I'm happy, but you won't see me truly radiate unless you do something special. I wonder if I can get away with putting this on my office door. ;-)

Turns out I'm not alone in sporting the pursed lip more frequently than the easy smile. I really connected with an article in the latest issue of The Gentlewoman (smashing new mag) on Janet Street-Porter. She has lived such a full life and is at a point where she seems completely confident in who she is.

When asked whether her opinion columns were fueled by her displeasure, her response had me laughing out loud.

"Maybe, but I'm also in touch with what gives me pleasure...but you don't have to go around like a Moonie, fucking smiling about everything."

So there you have it. I'm Serena, and I suffer from chronic bitchface.

Trip prep: Rafting

I need a few things before I head out on a three-day rafting trip. Can you believe I don't have a backpack? More importantly, I'm guessing wearing skirts will be frowned upon. Not going to lie...shorts make me shudder just a little.

Yes, I'm a little more frou frou than most, but I say there's nothing wrong with a little color.

Rafting the Rogue by notmiranda featuring striped tops

Old Navy striped top, $15
Old Navy padded bathing suit, $50
Old navy shorts, $15
White floppy hat, $25
Amazon.com: Lacoste Stripe Croc Beach Towel: Everything Else, $26
Amazon.com: Waves Scarf: Clothing, $49

A fantastic fourth

I've never been really big on the 4th of July. I'm probably one of the less patriotic people you'll meet and grew up in the dry West Texas desert (i.e., chances for wildfires = fewer fireworks) and spent the holiday in front of the TV with the family watching fireworks in far corners of the country. This year turned out to be pretty special though.



We began the holiday on Friday by grilling out at Ravena and Amanda's and followed it up with an attempted walk (later drive) to the cute little fireworks show in South Riding. It was the perfect length, and I forced myself to forget we were watching right by a bank and Giant grocery store. We even got a little crazy and set off some fireworks on of our own once back at their house. Kind of funny to see a group of 30-year olds make so much noise setting them off. I know the neighbors assumed it was a group of ne'er do well teens.



Allie blew into town on Saturday, and Monday we headed down to Richmond to do some lounging along the James. What can I say? It was perfect.



Picking our way across the rocks. A minor water gun fight. Soaking up the sun.



We followed that with sushi at our favorite sushi restaurant (nothing says freedom like sushi) and a terribly painful showing of the new Transformers.



Perfection.

Starlight

lunch at Paladar in Annapolis

I really want to write about my obsession with a brilliant new site by a guy with a clever photography idea, but I need to be able to take a few photographs to do it justice. In the meantime, I suppose I'll just tell you that I had a fairly relaxing weekend filled with food, friends and also some much needed reading time. I feel like Monday begins a six-week sprint, so I'm holding onto any down time I can get.

May in (Instagram) Photos

You guys are just going to have to get used to me dumping some of my instagram photos here. I love being able to look back over the month and see what kept me crazy. :-)


Finally finding a bathroom in NYC.


Finding art to calm me.


Making homemade rhubarb soda.


All buttoned up at BEA.


Conferences that begin with a walk through an early morning garden market in Cumberland.


Dinners that involve smiling new babies.


Dragging people who dislike wine to a remote wine shop.


Traveling to horse country for a little husband hunting.


Watching my talented friends play.

What memories do you treasure?

One of my new favorite sites, Matchbook Magazine, posed a question on twitter (@matchbookmag) today that got me thinking.

What's your most treasured handbag?

I immediately knew what my answer would be...the Dooney & Bourke Essex bag. I had a bag just like the one below in the '90s. I lusted after this bag for months, dragging my mom and grandma to the Dooney counter at Dillards every Saturday when we went to the mall. I know my mom and grandma thought it was too expensive for a high school student to carry, but I had expensive taste and was a bit fixated.



I had a job at Taco Bell at the time. It was my first entry into the workforce, and that Dooney was the first thing I ever remember saving up to purchase. A bag that cost over $200 equates to a lot of tacos. I always have had a soft spot for handbags.

I don't have the bag any longer, but it will always hold a special place in my memories. So, do you have a "most treasured" handbag? Be sure to head on over to Matchbook Mag and let them know.

There's No Free Lunch

The Shelly Klein exhibit at Quirk Gallery was definitely my favorite of the night (followed closely by Chris Milk Hulbert at Spur). I love the uncomplicated nature of the work. I say that not to downplay the thought and effort the artist put into creating these. I'm just drawn to the use of white space. It seems to highlight the other details (use of textiles, etc.) even more.

Richmond in Red

I ended an incredibly long Friday (and kicked off Saturday) in Richmond for their monthly art walk with Scarlet. So much fun! I can't wait to tell you about my favorite artist of the night. In the meantime, here are a few photos I snapped. Red seemed to be a recurring theme. :-)

Water babies

photo by Mira Shemeikka

I found my way home tonight. Submerged, cloaked in stillness with chlorine stinging my eyes.

I've been eyeing the pool at the gym for a couple of weeks now and decided to spice up my workout tonight by taking the plunge (ha). It was like being reunited with an old friend I hadn't seen in years. The fact of the matter is that it really has been years since I've hopped in the pool and swam laps. I used to live at the pool...at least until I hit that sensitive age where I suddenly became aware enough of my body to become self conscious.

Well, tonight I pulled on a simple one piece and a pair of black swim shorts and was a happy fish swimming lap after lap after lap.

Molly's Banana Bread with Chocolate and Ginger

banana bread served here with a bit of rhubarb compote

I have always liked the idea of cooking, but for the past couple of months, I've been practicing this thing called follow through. This has resulted in way more time than I'd like to admit searching for recipes that meet this criteria and that are actually interesting.

One of my new reads is A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette fame. In the book, she weaves stories of her life with recipes she grew up with. I actually haven't finished yet (it's kind of annoying to read something that makes you hungry), but I have already tackled one of the recipes. The recipe below is for a banana bread adapted (to make it gluten and cow milk free) from Molly's book.

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

3/4 cup raw cane sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup dark chocolate (> 70% cacao) shards

1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

2 large eggs

3 large ripe bananas

1/4 cup plain sheep yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together all of your dry ingredients, including the chocolate and ginger.

Melt the butter. I cheat and use the microwave. Combine all of the "wet" ingredients, including the bananas, in a separate bowl. You're now ready to mix your wet and dry ingredients. Molly recommends not overmixing and warns that it will still be slightly lumpy.

Bake for about an hour.

I love that she came upon the recipe because a friend was gifted a loaf. I've already given one of these away myself and am very much enamored with the thought of continuing the tradition.

Full circle

I was super stoked to see Glenn Ligon has an exhibit at the Whitney. It's the little things that get me giddy. Also, another reason to head back to NYC (and actually go in this time).

You here that, SVR? Return. Trip.

Discovery of Witches

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with what I want to write about except for the fact that I imagine witches must have amazing gardens. As a girl who hails from the arrid west, I'm naturally drawn to succulents. I snapped a picture* of these beauties as I walked into a local Whole Foods.

On to the matter at hand. I fell in love with a new book last week. Discovery of Witches had me nervously fretting as I waited to see how this story of magic, alchemy and story of forbidden relationships played out. It allowed me to escape into Oxford's Bodleian Library and ancient texts, all the while giving me the tension and push-pull of a steamy relationship. She weaves a supernatural world effortlessly among the human populations and creates family out of the oddest pairings.

History. Science. Intrigue. Romance. What more could a girl want?


I really want to say more but don't want to spill too much! I will say that you may want to avoid reading this right away if you need immediate resolution. Turns out this is going to be a trilogy (had no idea) and definitely left me in need of MORE as I sped through the last pages.

*I swore up and down that I wouldn't start taking all my pictures with my cell phone once I got one with a better camera. Then, a funny thing happened. My camera got a scratch on the lens and started acting wonky. Next thing you know I'm taking more cell photos. I'm disappointed in myself but will hopefully remedy this soon with a new camera.

Consumption Junction

As a conservationist, I struggle with consumption. I think we tend to have too much stuff in our lives, but beautiful, well-designed things do make me happy. At the very least, I want to ensure I'm curating a collection of things I love and will use in my life.

So, to help you fully embrace the bipolar nature of my personality, I'm hoping to strong arm you into watching this enlightening video encouraging you to drink tap water. As many of you know, I am a HUGE tap water advocate (if you're going to drink water). I came across this lovely water bottle during a recent trip to Paper Source and immediately fell in love with the message and the typography.



When I did a bit more digging, I found a company all about tap.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


More items tickling my fancy (but haven't purchased)...

Bones and book plates

AMNH photo by Sean Ng via Flickr

I've been developing a preternatural obsession with the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Public Library and the amazing hidden collections they hold. I love stories of dark hallways, historic treasures and rooms filled with historic documents waiting to be rifled through. I like to think I'd have the research stamina to pour over documents in search of that one piece of evidence that would make my argument. There's also a little part of me that likes to dream that one day my personal papers will end up at a place like this and be part of someone else's research expedition. I even draw little doodles throughout my notebook specifically to entertain future generations ;-)


AMNH photo by Charlyn Wee via Flickr

My fascination has partly been triggered by the Special Agent Pendergast series I've been reading by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. While working at a bookstore for years, I continually passed these books by with no more than a glance. Thanks to a free e-book included with another purchase (great ploy, guys) I was introduced to their writing and the series. Fun! The two books I've read involve mysteries surrounding the museum and take you intimately inside various nooks and crannies of the building. There are even a couple of trips to the New York Public Library for research.


NYPL photo by Timo via Flickr

My desire to make my pilgrimage to the New York Public Library (NYPL) was further fueled by a couple of recent articles. Did you know NYPL has over 40,000 menus from around the world? I never would have guessed they catalogued seemingly arcane bits of paper; however, they make an intriguing case about how analyzing these menus can tell us a lot about different regions and the eating habits of people. I love it. Anyway, they're looking for help in transcribing some of the menus they've scanned in, and you can help. The second article was one of The Paris Review's cultural diaries. The writer Amelie Nothomb was treated to a private tour of NYPL and got a chance to check out some of their treasures, including unpublished letters written by Marie Curie, a chemistry paper written by a sixteen-year-old Hemingway, the desk where Charles Dickens wrote, and Virginia Woolf’s cane that was left on the banks of the river where she drowned herself.


NYPL photo by an untrained eye via Flickr

Seriously interesting stuff.

Working It

I don't even know where to begin. Part of me wishes I had started writing this six weeks ago. Still, it's been such a big part of my life these past six weeks that I can't really not mention it any longer.

The basic gist is that I finally decided to take my health into my own hands and start living the way I've wanted to. This wasn't an overnight decision but one I've been thinking about for a while. One morning shortly after I moved away from home, I remember thinking "I'm an adult who can eat whatever I want, whenever I want!" Haha. I definitely owned that adult philosophy for quite a few years. Still, in recent years I've been wanting to eat more organic, locally based food but never thought I could afford it.

Turning 35 this year felt a little too adult. Things like creaky knees started to freak me out a bit more, and the fact that I couldn't buy any of the really cute thrift store clothes just got really annoying. Knowing that my mom and grandpa were now going to the gym (after never being gym people) was just another reality check. Paying off my non-existent car proved to be the final bit of motivation I needed.

In March, I joined a local gym and have been in apocalypse training* three to five nights a week. I'm finally taking time for me and leaving work at the right time most nights. I also started meeting with the nutritionist at the gym and agreed to give their metabolic tune-up program a shot. This nutritionist is a perky beast, but we share a very similar food philosophy, so it works. I also like that she can give me a scientific reason for everything she asks me to do (i.e., give up sugar, gluten, dairy, alcohol and many carbs).

Six weeks is most definitely long enough to form a habit, and I'm pretty okay with the way things are going. Don't tell anyone, but sometimes I even look forward to going to the gym. I've been trying to convince myself it's my new hobby. I also can't complain about the fact that I've lost 24 lbs since I started. Weight loss was never my goal (health is), but it's a nice side effect.

This is most definitely not going to turn into a health blog (shudder), but with so much of my time now being spent at places like the gym, it'll probably warrant a mention every now and then. Besides, I kind of need to tell you how I tried to take on the treadmill and lost.

*how to out walk a zombie, strength training for post-apocalyptic ass kicking, etc.

Heart of gold

Would you date the kindhearted criminal? The benevolent bad guy with a bit of a Robin Hood streak?



I saw Fast Five this weekend because who I am to resist muscular men driving fast cars. I think there's something attractive* about the archetype that Vin Diesel and some of his crew portray. While these characters clearly don't operate within the bounds of the law, their targets are often considered even more evil, and the results of their action often benefit the greater good in some way.

So, how do you feel about the kindhearted criminal?



*Judging by the popularity of this archetype, I'm guessing I'm not the only person these characters appeal to.