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A Sonnet for Ash Wednesday

Brought from the burning of Palm Sunday’s Cross

I resume the thread of Sounding the Seasons, the sonnet sequence I have been posting here, and which s also available as a book from Canterbury Press, with this sonnet for Ash Wednesday. As I set about the traditional task of burning the remnants of last Palm Sunday’s palm crosses in order to make the ash which would bless and sign our repentance on Ash Wednesday, I was suddenly struck by the way both the fire and the ash were signs not only of our personal mortality and our need for repentance and renewal but also signs of of the wider destruction our sinfulness inflicts upon God’s world and on our fellow creatures, on the whole web of life into which God has woven us and for which He also cares. So some of those themes are visted in this sonnet. As we go through Lent I will post sonnets reflecting on each of the three temptations of Christ in  the wilderness, as well as for Mothering Sunday and the Feast of the  Annunciation which also falls in Lent. As before I am grateful to Margot Krebs Neale for the remarkable commentary on these poems which she is making through her photographs. As always you can hear the poem by clicking on the title or the Play Button

Ash Wednesday

Receive this cross of ash upon your brow,
Brought from the burning of Palm Sunday’s cross.
The forests of the world are burning now
And you make late repentance for the loss.
But all the trees of God would clap their hands
The very stones themselves would shout and sing
If you could covenant to love these lands
And recognise in Christ their Lord and king.

He sees the slow destruction of those trees,
He weeps to see the ancient places burn,
And still you make what purchases you please,
And still to dust and ashes you return.
But Hope could rise from ashes even now
Beginning with this sign upon your brow.

Beginning with this sign upon your brow

Filed under christianity, literature, Poems

10 responses to “A Sonnet for Ash Wednesday

  1. Remarkable and inspiring. Blessings for Lent and I look forward to following you.

  2. Pingback: But Hope could rise from ashes even now… « The Small Rain

  3. A beautiful sonnet written in classical style, so eloquently catches the mood of repentance and moving forward in Christ. Have also subscribed to your blog, looking forward to reading more. May inspire me to update my own blog once in a while.

  4. Pingback: Creative bits of Liturgy for Ash Wednesday 2013 | Because God Calls

  5. Leanne Hill

    As I read your introduction to this amazing sonnet, I was reminded of the cleansing power of the fire used to create the ashes….

  6. I so enjoy the rhyme and rhythm of your words – less common in poetry these days, and effortful, I find, but you make it seem quite natural – and how it lends force to the meaning!

    • malcolmguite

      Thanks. I think that form, rhyme and rhythm are both beautiful in themselves and a helpful way of embodying a poem’s meaning, but as you say they have been marginalised in modern poetry I’m trying in my own small way to bring them back

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Greater Toronto – You really need to get serious about transit and planning.

One of the great frustrations for me right now, is the Scarborough subway debate.  The Scarborough Town Centre (STC) was built to be away from subway and on the highway network, as a decision when it was first built.  It was also built in order to make the car the primary means of access (hence the massive parking lots). The then city of Scarborough reduced the zoning density around Kennedy as a matter of policy, and now we are going to build subway to the STC.

I mention this, not because I believe that the Scarborough debate is a particularly bad situation, but because it is far too typical of the debate surrounding transit in Toronto.  Subway as the go to solution, where there is a clear need to get many more riders onto transit, and that means better rides, and more access across an area that we simply cannot afford to build subway.  Advocating for subway as a wider solution is essentially saying that we can afford to build it and operate a massive amount of it.  Toronto, was simply not built that way, and we need to start to deal with the needs in a context of what has already been done. If people are going to be attracted to transit, it needs to be faster than a bus stuck in traffic, but that does not mean subway everywhere.

The vast majority of access will need to remain basic bus, with a large amount of BRT and LRT added in areas where they can in fact be built.  Where there is a corridor that can act as a closed express corridor, there is the option for higher speed more direct transit.  These need to be part of a set of building blocks that reach across the region.

Toronto, needs to start supporting a serious increase in density, and much better access to transit, but subway should only be added at the point where there is a very real capacity requirement (ie something to relieve Yonge).  Otherwise, Toronto, needs to build a transit network that matches the density that it has, and is likely to have in the next couple of decades.

One thought on “Greater Toronto – You really need to get serious about transit and planning.

  1. hamish wilson

    The planning overall is pretty sad to carrupt. Absolutely we need to spend money, but not waste the billions as per the subway extensions, and yet the EA is any type of transit as long as it’s a subway here. Being a downtown core person, I’m far less qualified to comment and instigate etc. about Scarborough yet the outside view of looking down on it from a map has led me to propose using the Gatineau Hydro corridor for a busway, the idea being put forward to all sorts of politicians etc. last summer, but with scant uptake. Of course it needs formal review and kicking around, but this very wide corridor slices through all of Scarborough on the shortcut diagonal that also reflects the squeeze of the shoreline on the grid. A busway would not be too expensive, though some tunnelling required at Rail tracks and likely elsewhere, and buses could adapt themselves to on-street large sites of destination/origin like the Hospital, Centennial, UTScarborough and the Zoo. Phase 1 is the easier one starting c. Vic Park/Eglinton and then going to the NE. Phase 2 into the core via Thorncliffe is far more complex – but it could start functioning as a mini-DRL far far sooner and waaaay cheaper, and actually it would begin to address the real issues of overload at Bloor/Yonge possibly.

    So yes, the key to leapfrogging over our very significant transport problems is to assess the utility of these corridors for transit-only and dream of new routes that advantage transit and the Gatineau is prime, owned by the province already so in theory it should be accessible and save us $$$. I’d be happy to share images and routes etc., but glad you’ve commented on Munro’s site about this corridor, so I’m not the only crazy one. And given how we tend not to do transit here in Caronto, odds may be high this idea was first floated thirty or 40 years ago maybe right??

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A Dean’s Eye View: Sustainability in Business Schools

ssharmaDr. Sanjay Sharma is the Dean of the School of Business at University of Vermont. Prior to this appointment, he was Dean of the John Molson School of Business, Montreal and the Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Organizations. His research focuses on building organizational capacity and motivations for driving corporate sustainability strategy.

In his essay “Pathways of Influence for Sustainability in Business Schools: A Dean’s Eye View,” forthcoming in Organization & Environment and now available in the journal’s OnlineFirst section, Dr. Sharma writes:

oaeThere is no formula or a standard process that deans can follow toward building a more sustainable business school. It is clear that change has to be implemented and owned by faculty. However, I believe that the process of embedding sustainability cannot be gradual or cannot wait until the dean’s second term. If a dean has a passion for sustainability, the process must begin at the beginning of the term when all stakeholders expect change. A dean should begin by quickly identifying and listing all external and internal stakeholders of the school and understanding their agendas for the school and the depth of their support, indifference, and/or opposition to sustainability. If stakeholders need to be educated, understand what are the sustainability challenges that could affect each of the stakeholders? For example, educating Wall Street investment bankers about the risks of climate change and carbon prices to their business generated interest and sparked support. Champions within any stakeholder group—faculty, students, alumni, and donors—should be supported and linked with the agendas of other stakeholders.

Read the essay, “Pathways of Influence for Sustainability in Business Schools: A Dean’s Eye View,” in Organization & Environment, and click here to sign up for e-alerts about new research from the journal.

This entry was posted in Environmental and Social Issues by Cynthia Nalevanko, Editor, SAGE Publishing. Bookmark the permalink.

About Cynthia Nalevanko, Editor, SAGE Publishing

Founded in 1965, SAGE is the world’s leading independent academic and professional publisher. Known for our commitment to quality and innovation, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students across a broad range of subject areas. With over 1500 employees globally from principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC, and Melburne, our publishing program includes more than 1000 journals and over 900 books, reference works and databases a year in business, humanities, social sciences, science, technology and medicine. Believing passionately that engaged scholarship lies at the heart of any healthy society and that education is intrinsically valuable, SAGE aims to be the world’s leading independent academic and professional publisher. This means playing a creative role in society by disseminating teaching and research on a global scale, the cornerstones of which are good, long-term relationships, a focus on our markets, and an ability to combine quality and innovation. Leading authors, editors and societies should feel that SAGE is their natural home: we believe in meeting the range of their needs, and in publishing the best of their work. We are a growing company, and our financial success comes from thinking creatively about our markets and actively responding to the needs of our customers.

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Tune Out, Unwind, De-Stress / The Best Massage in Downtown Calgary

Manual Osteopath

  • What is Manual Osteopathy:

Manual Osteopathy is a form of manual therapy that looks at the body as a whole and understands the interconnectivity of all the systems. It is a therapy that can be of benefit for anyone who has had an injury, has limited range of motion, or has any discomfort.Osteoarticular techniques, fascial releases, craniosacral therapy, and visceral manipulation are used to gently adjust muscles, soft tissues, bones, joint capsules, and internal organs into proper alignment. When the body is balanced, it is able to function properly and quickly heal itself.

All treatments are done with the client fully clothed and can be adjusted to the client’s capabilities based on age, range if motion, and acuity of injury. Manual Osteopathy can help increase your mobility and decrease your discomfort with long lasting results.

  • Bio:

Jillian Dean, BSc, RTR, MO, is a recent graduate from the National Manual Osteopathic College. This 1884 hour Manual Osteopathy program teaches osteoarticular techniques to adjust bones and joint capsules, advanced fascia techniques to increase mobility and decrease discomfort in the connective tissue surrounding the muscles, craniosacral therapy to restore balance to the body’s natural rhythm and improve the flow of fluid surrounding the central nervous system, and visceral manipulation techniques to release restrictions in your abdomen and pelvis to encourage natural movement and function if your internal organs.

Previously Jillian graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Health Science. She went on to specialize in Radiography, Mammography, and Computed Tomography. While she enjoyed the science and technology involved in that career she wanted to be more involved in her patient’s recovery. So, after 7 years in Medical Imaging she left the diagnostic field and moved into the healing field.

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Living and Working

I just started my new job working with people who have been diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness. Their lives are hard. Being them and getting through the day is hard. Sometimes being with them is hard. Usually being their family member is hard. It’s not the kind of life any of us would choose to have if we were given the choice. It turns out that I kind of like the part of my job that is getting to know these people.

They’re in your neighborhood, you know. They’re in mine.

Last week a young person I like a lot lost his grandfather. The man was in his early 60s. He killed himself. He hadn’t been well, but the family wasn’t expecting his death. They certainly weren’t expecting to find his body last Saturday morning in the home they all shared. He used a gun to end his life. It was traumatic for his family to say the least.

The cause of death was a gunshot. But it was mental illness that killed him. This man, who had a wife of over 40 years and 11 grandchildren also had gangrene that had invaded his entire body. He was terrified of doctors. He didn’t confide in his family, and no one knew the extent of his sickness until he was gone. It’s a heavy burden and a hard way to be.

Every time I see one of those Wayne Dyer inspirational posters talking about how you’re in charge of your own future and everything that happens to you is the result of your own choices, I think about people like that grandpa. Sure, he made choices. But what kind of positive good does telling him his life is the result of his own choices do? How is something like that helpful to anyone but people who are already happy and stable? And then, what the fuck good is that? For those people Wayne Dyer quotes are just self-congratulatory psycho-lube.

Sometimes I get crabby about Wayne Dyer. Also about suicide and about how life can be just a miserable slog for some people.

I’m writing unedited lately, so cut me some slack.


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It Is Therefore Recommended That One Have A Proper Exercise Plan In Mind So That Muscle Gain Takes Place Simultaneously.

It is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous the most nutritious elements you can add to your smoothie. Apart from drinking this soup, of course, there are other in the blood, which eventually helps reduce body weight. Prolong use of these antidepressants can alter the chemical equilibrium the night-time, but is high when the day comes around. Its composition may vary, depending on various factors like age, body weight, medical fruits as well, since they are high in fructose. A point to note here is that antidepressants are basically helpful in the treatment of of antioxidants, which adds up to its beneficial properties.

HIV/AIDS A chronic and life-threatening condition caused due to HIV human 2 scoops Granulated instant coffee, 1 tsp. Along with mangosteen, you must not fail to maintain a regular workout plan and providing the extra boost of energy, which does not make the person feel starved even after working out. #10 – Coleus Coleus helps to decompose the fat stored in detoxification and internal cleansing of the body. Once it does, you’ll notice how easy it is to avoid extra body, the brain receives a signal, which in turn suppresses the appetite. If you carefully observe your eating patterns, you will realize that we eat more than Weight Loss: Lentil Soup Recipe This lentil soup example for alkaline diet for weight loss will take approximately 45-50 min to prepare, and will provide 6-7 servings.

This new weight loss aid, validated by medical research, coupled with a better option amongst the detox drinks people consume, to lose weight. Simeons provided a ray of hope for many obese individuals, especially who were too lazy to undertake any exercise regimen reduce the intake of calories, thereby leading to weight loss. Still, more research is required to prove the for a longer time subsequently, you tend to binge less. You should eat complex carbohydrates and lean proteins as they fruit juices, clear soups, as well as smooth cooked cereals. It mainly helps in natural bodily waste elimination, which refined snacks with foods which are made from whole grain.

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Africa Mobile Broadband Market Discussed in Topical BuddeComm Study Published at

01 Aug 2014 • by Natalie Aster

LONDON – Africa is witnessing one of the strongest increases in mobile data usage worldwide. Mobile web traffic across the region is forecast to double during 2014-2015, and is projected to witness a 20-fold upsurge by 2020-end. 3G network services will replace older 2G technology and will remain dominant in the next three years. By the end of the decade, around three fourths of all mobile connections will be 3G/4G, and hence the operators will be focusing on taking advantage of released spectrum to expand the reach and capacity of LTE networks out of the bounds of the leading cities.

This growth in traffic is being underpinned by the data-rich applications, maturing social media industry, and mobile video. The African region is also hosting a fresh wave and domestically built inexpensive smartphones, which results in such devices becoming more readily available to a better half of the population. Furthermore, m-banking has stricken roots in a range of national markets, particularly in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda; this has stimulated the growth of the m-commerce sector – a viable international service within Africa.

Topical report “Africa - Mobile Broadband Market” prepared by BuddeComm draws up a comprehensive and unprejudiced picture of Africa’s broadband market focusing on voice-over LTE (VoLTE) developments. It provides comprehensive analyses of the mobile marketplaces in different African countries, covering key information such as mobile statistical data, long-term evolution (LTE/4G), wireless broadband, mobile broadband, WiMAX, WiFi, broadband via satellite, m-banking, and exhaustive forecasts for subscriber growth up to 2018.

Markets covered: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote D’ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Report Details:

Africa - Mobile Broadband Market
Published: July, 2014
Price: US$ 2,500.00

Other Telecom Markets Reports Include:

More topical studies by the publisher can be found at BuddeComm page.

The Market Publishers, Ltd.
Natalie Aster
Tel: +44 208 144 6009
Fax: +44 207 900 3970


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Owens Corning

Materials Direct USA is proud to offer Owens Corning as our primary roofing direct supplier.

Berkshire Concord

Owens Corning invented glass fiber, and glass fiber insulation, over 50 years ago. The Owens Corning brand and its full line of PINK insulation products has long been synonymous with trusted performance and brand preference. Today, the company has become a leading home building products company.

Additionally, by developing a world-class science and technology team, Owens Corning has successfully expanded applications for glass fiber materials. Owens Corning is the world’s leading producer of glass fiber materials used in composites.

Global Composites Systems Solutions. Owens Corning glass fiber materials can be found in over 40,000 end-use applications ranging from computer to automobiles, and from telecommunications cables, pipes and boats to appliances, snow skis and aircraft. Learn how Owens Corning works with our customers to create material solutions that help make these and other products perform better.

Home Building Systems. From insulating, roofing, acoustical, to basement finishing, Owens Corning’s systems deliver maximum energy efficiency, low maintenance, sound control, convenience, beauty and peace of mind with warranties that are among the best in the industry.

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Even (especially) if you lead a small charity –you need to invest in marketing

            Almost a decade ago our organization was facing a situation that would either transform us, or destroy us. At the time the board had the foresight to find a skilled Marketing professional who had led Marketing departments for national companies. This director managed to convince the board that it was prudent and necessary to invest in marketing, we didn’t us the “M” word in those days, and instead we called it “communications”. She would have agreed with Grounds (2014) who describes “The most forward-looking charities have marketing and communications represented at board level and see these activities as fully integrated into business planning and achievement of business targets.” It was hard for our board to accept that we needed to spend donated funds to generate the funds we would need  for what was to become a much larger operation. She did however in the first year convince the board it would be a good investment to hire a student as our first part time communications coordinator and invest a little money into our website. I don’t remember what we paid Jill on an hourly basis but I do remember she could have made more working for Domino’s or some local retailer.

             A board and the organization’s management do need to accept that investing in marketing is really necessary. Brinckerhoff (2010, p3) informs that:” Good marketing in a nonprofit is good stewardship, because good marketing enables more effective mission provision.” We do invest a good deal more in our marketing than we did in the early years, but seeing the benefits of our communications and marketing made it much easier in later years to view these expenditures as an investment.  As a small charity we had realized we needed to think and behave more like a large charity. Of course there are obvious differences in the size of our budget compared to the communications/marketing budget of a large charity, but we did start to think of spending as investing in the future.

John Grounds (2014)  reminds us“…no charity, of any size or sector, can raise money, engage stakeholders and the wider public or indeed achieve lasting change without well planned, well executed communication. This applies to very small, wholly volunteer-run local charities and multinational charity brands alike.” If you are fortunate to work for a charity whose board and leadership understand this, your next learning will be that in addition to on-going investment in your marketing- you will need on-going learning in this area. Be prepared that what you are doing today will need to change tomorrow.  Brinckerhoff (2010, p.194) says:” New ideas, applications, trends, fads and great tools will be coming along at a rapid pace. It will be your job to sort out what fits with your mission and your goals in marketing.”

           Our supporters and potential supporters have continuously evolving expectations on how organizations communicate with them. For example Grounds (2014) suggests:” Communicating with stakeholders or potential supporters will need to become ever more personalized and specific not only to individual needs and interests but to location, time of day, and day of week. People will expect the communications they receive to take account of their lifestyle to a much greater degree. Can I respond to this contact by doing something now, on the way to work, on my way back from the school run, in the supermarket, on holiday and so on? Does the communication take account of the way I live my life as well as the things my network of friends and I are interested in?”

            By the time you are really satisfied with how you are marketing and promoting your organization- well in reality probably before that time- you will need to be thinking of how you are going to change it. Grounds (2014) summarizes: “ Innovation will need to be at the heart of every charity’s thinking and we will all need to move more quickly in responding to people’s changing expectations. Today’s effective communication might be tomorrow’s old hat.”

Brinckerhoff, P.C (2010) Mission-Based marketing: Positioning your not –for –profit: New

          Jersey: John Wiley &Sons Inc.

Grounds.J  (2014) ‘Today’s communication might be tomorrow’s old hat’; Voluntary Sector Network

          Blog, February 3 2014 as retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2014/feb/03/10-years-time-role-of-marketing-and-charity-comms

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Resources by Topic
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Teacher Educators SIG Meeting
Monday, October 30, 2017, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST
Category: Special Interest Groups

The Teacher Education SIG will meet via Go-to-Meeting at 10:00 on the following Mondays: 9/25, 10/30, 11/27, and 12/18. We anticipate the meetings to run from 10:00-11:30, however we may adjourn earlier if we have completed our discussion.

Registration info to be announced.


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It has, in no uncertain terms, been a manic old month or so.

First up, I was commissioned by the lovely people of to write their end of year feature, a gargantuan 7000 word task that I turned over in the space of a few days – I submitted with time enough to spare for a hot bath and a cold Scotch, West Wing DVDs to settle my addled mind. Combined with the king hell collapse of my heating system at home at home it was a suitably epic time, but I’m pretty pleased with the results. Check them out here.

Secondly, I’m published for the first time in this moth’s issue of Plan B. Hooray! Two reviews (WhiskeyCats and Remember Remember) that have taught me a lot about how I come across in print. NOT TERRIBLY WELL, but I have time to earn and my flatmate got a kick out of checking out my words on the shelf at Borders. Thumbs Up!

A long-standing project of mine and Julia Scheele’s is now up on Words and Pictures. Click the image for more.

Comrade Gillen flung me a copy of the new Phonogram, and it’s bloody great. I’m going to save writing about Series 2 for a few issues, for reasons the structure makes apparent, suffice to say I’ll be making puppy eyes at the boys for a while so they keep me in their gang of inspiring bastards.

To wrap up, I will have news of a little project for someone I’ve respected for a while coming soon, and I shall be at this next weekend.

I leave you to continue listening to the Karaoke outside of the window.

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How to Get Laid on the Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of Damn July, American Fanz!

I hope that everyone is feeling young and independent and free on this fine holiday. I hope that you’re sweating red, white and blue mixed drinks out while lying on the beach or by the pool to view the star spangled firework show.

I know that I am having a great time visiting my other family (Brix and co.) up in The Middle of Nowhere, PA. We’re enjoying our time off and freedom. Have I mentioned that this is my first fourth of July off from a job in 5 years? NO? Well, it is. And I am taking full advantage of that, poolside, without a care in the world.

I am focusing on me this summer and that includes taking it easy on the dating/boy front, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t put yourselves out there.

I am going to give you a list of America themed chat-up lines to help you find that special someone to get cozy with on that beach blanket under the patriotic light show:

Baby, you’re a firework.

On this Independence Day, I’m learning about important dates in history, do you want to be one of them?

I bet if Jefferson had met you, he would have vetoed the Non-Intercourse Act.

Don’t worry if you’re only wearing stripes because I’ll make you see stars tonight.

Oh say can you see… you and me getting cozy later?

You’re gorgeous. You’re like the Liberty Bell of the ball.

Baby, I’ll have you exercising you’re freedom of speech all night.

You remind me of the Constitution because you look like a National Treasure.

Why don’t we make like the first 13 colonies and multiply?

I’m free; if you’re brave.

I’d start a revolution for your phone number.

Damn baby, you just red, white and blew my mind.

And my personal favorite:

On a scale of 1 to America, how free are you tonight?

I hope that this has helped you score a patriotic night with a good humored, freedom loving date.

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Anritsu MS2026C Vector Network Analyser

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Product Description

The Anritsu VNA Master MS2026C is a handheld vector network analyser that specifically addresses complex cable, waveguide and antenna measurement needs in the field.

It provides accuracy with vector corrected 2-port 2-path measurements with full flexibility to customise displays in combinations of frequency, distance, and time domain analysis.

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The Locavore’s Dilemma

By Scott Anderson

We spent a few days down south recently and I finally picked up a copy of Edna Lewis’ book The Taste of Country Cooking. This is the 30th anniversary edition of the 1976 “Great Southern Classic” with a forward by Alice Waters. I have now had some quiet time to go through it and I wish I had bought it much earlier.

Edna Lewis, the descendent of slaves, spent her childhood in a Virginia Piedmont community of similar families called Freetown. Although this is very much a cookbook, there are long narratives in which Lewis, who died in 2006 at 89, describes an idyllic childhood in a warm and loving community where neighbours helped neighbours and virtually everything they ate came from the countryside and was provided either by the labour of their own hands or, the free bounty of Mother Nature.

It’s hard to imagine that life could be as wonderful as that, but it’s nice to have happy memories, even if they are an amalgam of events real and imagined.

Waters, the locavore godess,  gushes in her introduction, calling Lewis’ Freetown a “lost paradise.” She  points out that when the book was written in 1976, people found it hard to imagine this simple life was real.

“Thanks to this book a new generation was introduced to the glories of an American tradition…of simplicity and purity and sheer deliciousness that is only possible when food tastes like what it is, from a particular place, at a particular point in time.

“Back then [1976], the possibility that many Americans might once again strive to eat only local, seasonal foods raised or gathered or hooked by people they knew seemed distant.”

The emphasis in that quote is mine. It’s a bit of a stretch to think that people in America once ate only local food. There’s evidence that even aboriginals traded for food and, while their carbon footprint from transportation was just that – a footprint, they still had a hankering for the exotic.

Lewis does focus on the local and the fresh, but she also remembers that taste has a big part to play as well. As much as Waters tries to make her part of the 100-mile diet club, Lewis resists.

And the proof is in her recipes. You don’t have to go far into the book (Page 8, in fact) to find the first departure from an entirely local diet. The “early spring dinner” menu calls for braised forequarter of mutton made with a half cup of “peeled, seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes.”

Now, I just got back from Virginia – it’s already mid-spring I didn’t see any fresh local tomatoes. It’s far too early for that.

Edna Lewis isn’t around to confirm it, but I strongly suspect that those tomatoes were added to that recipe much later in her life and that they were added because they simply taste better.

But that’s ok. Edna had the right idea; eating locally produced is great. Shaking the blood-stained hand of the man who butchered the pig you’re about to eat a part of  – or at least who met the farmer whose hens laid your eggs  – is a wonderful way to feel closer to your food. And, if that makes you feel better about the food you eat, you’ll likely feel better about yourself. And that, as one of our famous food felons says, is a good thing.

But, we have to remember that the 100-mile diet is just that, a diet. All diets are fads as far as I can tell and many can be harmful if followed too closely. And, while there’s a lot of sense in eating locally, we can take it too far.

Let’s not forget that we’ve always improved our meals  with things from elsewhere – things that you can’t grow or gather or hook at home. Taste is important too

Edna Lewis knew that.
Steamed Chicken in Casserole (From The taste of Country Cooking)

This recipe can be quickly made and cooked without too much watching. Serves 4 to 5.

1 2 1/2 pound chicken with a few extra wings

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 medium-sized onions, chopped fine

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Salt and pepper

Have the chicken cut into 8 pieces. Wash off and dry with a clean cloth. Into a heavy pot or saucepan put the butter and heat to the foaming stage. Add the onions. When the onions are quite heated through, add in the chicken. Raise the flame and brown the chicken and onions well, without burning. When the chicken is well browned, turn the burner as low as possible, add the thyme, bay leaf and carrots, cover with a closely fitting lid, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Stir by shaking the pot around. The pot can be set into a preheated 250 degree oven. Be sure it’s quite hot when set into the oven. Cook for 45 minutes. If you have fresh tarragon add 1/2 tablespoon about 15 minutes before removing from the oven, then salt and pepper to taste, and swish pot around to blend in the herb. Adding the tarragon at the last gives a better flavor than if it is cooked in from the beginning. Don’t use dried tarragon; it’s too strong. The chicken wings can be removed if you like; they are added really to give thickness to the sauce, which comes from the two last wing joints.

3 thoughts on “The Locavore’s Dilemma

  1. Butter will start to foam when it gets very hot – and you have to watch that it doesn’t burn. But, don’t worry about that – just add a touch of olive oil and it won’t burn.

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City hospital pays $15.4 million to settle claims under the False Claims Act

$15.4 million was recently paid by a city hospital to resolve both state and federal claims against it. The lawsuit, brought by the government, alleged violations of the False Claims Act, stating that the hospital conspired to increase Medicare bills by paying physicians kickbacks to steer patients to the facility, where they frequency received unnecessary treatment. One of the defendants was a party to a $14 million settlement for a similar scheme he ran at a Chicago facility involving Chicago medical malpractice and Medicare fraud.

To read the full article.


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Journal of Medical Ethics

Stimulus plan?

It may sound unusual, but it's true: In recent years a growing number of people have been hooking their heads up to electrodes, in an attempt to stimulate their brains using a direct electrical current. Some of them do this ...

Dec 18, 2015
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Author Archive

Hourou Musuko episode 1

“What are girls made of? “ With that single line starts the first episode of HOUROU MUSUKO.
Now when an anime starts with that kind of line, you know right away that it is definitely not going to be the usual moe/ecchi / cheesy cliché love story.
Indeed Hourou musuko is one of those deep anime that you don’t watch half heartedly. It deals with a complex matter: gender identity. And its main purpose is to touch the soul and make people understand things better. (more…)

January 16, 2011 at 6:16 pm 1 comment

Welcome to MegaKi!

We are planning to be back in the anime season of winter 2012, with more optimized organization. We will be aiming on post-quality and efficiency, rather than simple quantity.

Please keep an eye out for our return!

The MegaKi Staff.

Follow us on Twitter!


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Category Archives: Crafty Maa

Felt Travel Pouch-Instant gratification

Another crafty finish.This time a travel pouch. I have been wanting to make something with felt for a long time now.I had 4 puffies to make for October and I decided to make this as one of the handmades.
Picture Credit: Nidhi

For this project,I used-

Blue Felt sheet
Red Felt scraps
assorted buttons
embroidery floss.

The whole thing took about an hour or so to finish. MIL taught me how to make a button-hole and I was pleasantly surprised how simple it was to make.
It was just the instant gratification I needed that day! And my joy doubled up when Nidhi,the birthday girl,loved it 🙂

Some more handmade love

Some more handmade presents that I made this year for Christmas.This Family Plaque for a friend.
And these monogrammed letter Christmas tree ornaments for a friend’s three girls

Handmade names/Alphabets

My friend Mayu loves personalized things.So,For Christmas, I painted and decorated these wooden letters for her girls’ names.

Ms.Aadya wants me to make the letters for Ananya n her names as well 🙂

Lotus Tea-Light Holders.

I brought my yarn and hook along for this trip..SD was cribbing about the extra yarn was taking up..REALLY!! It was just a small bag ..ok not a small bag..but Come ON! It was my holiday and I could choose to spend it the way I wanted!!LOL! Anyway,he was going to be working.So, Anyway.. I finished this one pair of Tea-light holders for one of my Swap buddies.

I am planning on making more of other colors:)

The pattern can be found here !

If you have some kid-free time,these can be whipped up in a hour or two..Mine took longer since I took so many breaks!!LOL!

Bitten by a new bug..

Oh well.. you won’t be a true crafter if you weren’t bitten by a new craft bug,every now and again.. now,would you?

So,the latest bug to bite me is called jewellery making..I was lusting after some beads 2 weeks back,when I was stuck at home with sick kids..And I asked around on my local mum’s groups if anyone made jewellery,etc..and one of them,said,she was selling her jewellery making supplies..if I was interested..I looked at the pics and I salivated..I hesitated just a bit,because really I had never spent $$ on anything craft-related..I usually look in the bargain bins or the sale shelves..but I knew it I would never be able to get a collection that big..quickly..because I NEEDED it ASAP..

I got the collection,and checked out a few tutorials and then opened the treasure-chest and made these..

Sorry about the bad pic..I was so excited..:)

Well well * jumping impatiently* what do you think?what do you think??

SAARC April 2012

The April Birthday girls were- hooksnneedles and Mrs.Fife -Both these ladies are avid crafters..and I spent a long time thinking what to make for them.Finally settled on Decoupage coasters.

I made 4 spotted coasters and 4 retro-floral ones and then couldn’t decide which one to send whom.So,I mixed them up and formed this set.

To give the coasters a neat professional finish,I covered the backing with felt pieces. Can you imagine my joy when hooksnneedles wrote back saying that she mistook them for store-bought ones!

For making these coasters,I used-

Unfinished Wooden coasters.

Scrapbooking paper.

Glue that dries clear.

and Felt for backing.

Using Modge-Podge gives the paper a nice glossy shine and also makes them durable.

I hope the girls are getting some use out of these…

More later..

Trish Xx

SAARC 2012- March -2

For the last March Birthday girl,I made these coaster-

Simple Red and Blue Felt Coasters- free hand paisleys embroidered using embroidery floss and chain stitch,finished off with blanket stitch.

A close up of the coasters:

Details about the swap are here .


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Monday, May 16, 2011

Tough Mudder. Done.

Thanks to everyone who sponsored me for my little trot up and down the gentle rolling hills of VT. Here are a few stats on the race:

  • 10 miles long
  • 13,000 feet of overall elevation change
  • 7000 feet of climbing
  • 28 different obstacles including 4 12-foot walls, a 15-foot jump into 45 degree water, a log carry up and then down a very steep slope.
I finished with very sore knees about 4.5 hours after the 10:20 am start time. And lunatic that I am, I have pre-registered for next year. But I'm bringing Advil with me next time.

Atom Smasher said...

My legs hurt just thinking about it.

Jail Break said...

Oh, that was so hurt. But I think being a certified tough mudder is a great feelings. Great stuff in the race, that was cool ! Congratulations ! Well done.

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Friday, May 6, 2011

"Wipe Them Out. All of Them. Yes, Even My Huckleberry.""

So, our health care system is so terrible that it needed to be plowed with salt last year, but starting with a call to the clinic at 10:30am and ending with me walking back in the door of my house at 1pm, I and my awful cough/laryngitis had a non urgent-care appointment, saw a nurse and a doc, got throat swabbed, blood drawn, and chest X-rayed, chest listened to; and tested out negative for Strep, bronchitis, and pneumonia. All in 2.5 hrs.

Yeah, that's... awful. Let's never have to put up with that again.

And for the curious, the Doc confirmed what I'd figured - my pollen allergies are simply kicking in and having fun with the soft tissues and upper respiratory that my bad cold this last weekend ravaged. So my lucky coworkers get to have another couple of days of listening to me cough like Doc Holliday and wheeze like Emperor Palpatine.

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There's a Japanese Tradition That Every American Office Needs to Implement Right Now

There's a Japanese Tradition That Every American Office Needs to Implement Right Now

You've conquered the morning at your desk. You've bought your lunch, and you've consumed it. All the blood is rushing to your stomach. Your eyelids are drooping as you contemplate the long afternoon stretch ahead.

This is the moment when every single office worker in every office in the world craves a little nap. Just a few minutes of rest would allow you to attack the afternoon with all you've got. Chances are, though, napping just doesn't fly in your office.

Numerous scientific studies have found that short sleeps during the day (between 10 and 30 minutes) improve concentration, ability to learn on the job and focus for a few more hours.

In Japan, this has long been understood. The Japanese can doze off wherever and whenever they like while at work. Inemuri, working yourself to the point of needing a nap on the job, is considered evidence of one's commitment to the job. And it's about time the same is acceptable in American offices.

Inemuri means "to be asleep while present." Like everything else in an office, it is subject to a hierarchy structure. Only the high up or the low down in the office can nap, and they must remain upright so as not to appear slovenly, the BBC reports.

The situation, of course, is very different in the U.S., where employees work longer hours and take fewer holidays than anywhere else in the industrialized world. We are also sleeping less than we were a decade ago, with researchers citing crammed schedules and stress.

The medical profession has labeled this modern malaise "tatt," or "tired all the time," according to the BBC. Lack of sleep not only decreases performance in the workplace, but it's also really bad for your health. You're a human being as well as an employee, I promise.

And it's not just dark circles under your eyes you should be worried about. The Huffington Post used this infographic to explain how a lack of sleep increases your risk of diabetes, obesity, cancer and having a stroke. Combined with the especially long hours employees in America work, you have a formula for illness.

Image Credit: Huffington Post

While Japan's respect for working yourself to a point where you have to nap in your chair is worrying in itself, at least, when you're at this point, it is acceptable to sleep at work. According to the Bureau of Statistics, the average American work day is 8.8 hours, but unpaid overtime, multiple part-time jobs and the freelance work structure are likely to make that number higher for a lot of people. All the while, Americans need to appear alert and engaged, even when they're not.

Some executives in America have responded to the conclusive medical evidence in support of office napping. MetroNaps Fatigue Management Solution has provided its space-age energy pods to companies like Google, the Huffington Post, the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball teams and others. The pods look great, and are super comfortable. But, as with many other great things, they are also expensive.

If America were to follow Japan's lead, there would be no need for expensive sleep pods. A free tool for worker motivation and improved health is already at our fingertips, or should I say, our eyelids.


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Tag Archives: chicken

Chicken and Quinoa Medley

Chicken Quinoa

This is the kind of meal you could make for yourself and eat over a couple of days as long as you keep the sauce and seeds separate

I devised it originally to use up the chicken leftovers from a roast. You can just as easily griddle a chicken breast.  I use a lot of quinoa in my cooking. Its a complete protein, a carbohydrate and it’s gluten free. Like oats it has complex carbohydrates and essential amino acids which makes it good for training. Most importantly it’s versatile and works as a  sweet or savoury dish.

Ingredients (serves 4)

250g of left over chicken or 2 chicken breast griddled
150g quinoa
150g cherry tomatoes
25g capers
50g spring onions or shallots
1 lemon zested and juiced
1 orange, juiced
Salt and pepper
25g parsley
75g sunflower seeds
10ml Tamari (or soy sauce)

100g natural yoghurt
100g cucumber (about a third)
Half of the lemon juice
25g mint
Salt and pepper
Tamari seeds (see TIPS)

To make the yoghurt sauce  mix together the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Peel and de-seed the cucumber and cut into small squares, chop the mint and add to the yoghurt and mix together.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and put onto a baking tray covered with baking paper. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and black pepper and some olive oil. (Optional, drizzle a small amount of honey, agave, maple syrup or just a bit of sugar over the tomatoes for added sweetness).

Pour the quinoa into boiling water for 8-10 minutes, taste, it needs to be soft but with a bit of bite. Drain into a fine sieve and refresh under the cold tap. Let it drain for 5 minutes then lay out flat on a tray and cover with kitchen roll and press the excess water out of it. Roughly chop the capers and finely chop the spring onion and the parsley.

Combine the above ingredients in a bowl. Squeeze half the orange and half the lemon into the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the ingredients over to combine gently.  You don’t want to break up the tomatoes too much.

To serve, place the quinoa mix on a plate and layer on the chicken, pour on the dressing and garnish with herbs and seeds.

Smoked Paprika Chicken

Smoked paprika drives this dish so its worth having a good look for some. It’s not always easy to find so be warned. Alternatively you can use ordinary sweet paprika so don’t be put off if you can’t find smoked. The longer you leave the spice to permeate the chicken the better, overnight is good, but even half an hour does the trick.

2 small chicken breasts
4 medium sized sticks (soaked in water if you are cooking on a bbq)
3 cloves of garlic
1 lemon juiced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (or sweet)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
salt and pepperFor garnish
100g (a small pot) of natural yogurt
A squeeze of lemon
15g chopped coriander or parsley

Cut each breast into 8 pieces and put into a bowl. Squeeze half the lemon, press the garlic add salt and pepper, olive oil and smoked paprika into the chicken and mix together with your hand. Leave in the fridge for a minimum of half an hour, preferably overnight.

Thread four pieces of marinated chicken onto each stick and leave on a plate in the fridge ready to cook, you can prepare these well in advance if you need to.

Cook on a cast iron griddle or put under the grill or bbq. Most importantly, do not over cook, when the meat is firm to touch it is done, better take one of the sticks off the heat and open the largest piece of chicken to make sure it is cooked through. Usually it takes 3-4 mins each side on a medium flame. Remember you can always put it back on or under the heat if it is not cooked.

To make the sauce, add salt pepper and lemon juice to the yogurt, you might need to add a touch of water to get the sauce to drizzle, finally sprinkle with chopped herbs.


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Going Paperless: Data Security

Okay, so you’ve eliminated junk mail, opted out for all those credit cards, and set up a small portable file system to help you manage all incoming paper. You’ve decided on a file naming convention. Now what? Before you sign on for on-line bill pay and eBills, consider how you’ll protect your data. I mean, you already back up all those digital photos you can never replace, right? Right?

So, the first thing is to ensure you have a good backup. For Macs, the first step is Time Machine which backs up your entire drive to an external drive. PC users should find that a lot of external drives have backup software included. This is the single most important advice I can offer anyone with a computer. Backup backup backup. Get the idea? The rest of this post is based on my suggestions. Take ’em or leave ’em, but at least read on and make your own choices.

Next? Consider encryption. There are good points and bad with encryption, so here’s where I suggest you do a little of your own research. But, you need to trust that your sensitive information (signatures, social security numbers, acct information, etc) is safe from falling into the wrong hands. You never know that everyone who has access to your computer is completely trustworthy. You wouldn’t encourage people to riffle through your paper filing cabinet, would you? You can use the free True Crypt for both Macs and PCs. Macs can also use the OSX included Sparse Disk Image. I won’t go into how to do this as there are tons of sites that give you step-by-step instructions. Is this step necessary? No, there’s biometric thumb drives and whole disk encryption or you could not encrypt at all. It’s your data and you should be comfortable with whatever risk you’re willing to take.

Okay. You’re backed up. You’ve read up on encryption and made your decision there. Now, make sure you have a plan for the worst case scenario – theft, or natural disaster. This means another backup – one that isn’t located or kept at your home/office. When it comes to considering disaster recovery you have a couple choices: Off-site or cloud. The choice is yours and where you put that trust. Off-site could be at a friend or relative’s house. It could be a safety deposit box. The cloud is easiest, you just pay for the service, do a little configuration, and the rest happens automatically. How often should you back up? The question is: How much data can you afford to loose? A day? A week? I have daily backups and then a weekly, bootable backup that is kept at a secure location. This is a plan that has to suit you and your needs.

You’re almost done. But not quite. Practice safe computing. You want to ensure that the computer stays free of viruses, spyware, and malware. You don’t want the files wide open for all who use the computer to easily see. Computer experts suggest that you lockdown accts, use strong passwords, run anti-virus and malware sweepers. I won’t go into the Macs don’t get viruses debate here. They aren’t bullet proof against Malware, no computer is immune. At least read up on Macs and malware. If you decide to get some protection for your Mac, there are some free choices out there. PCs have a few free choices, too if money is an issue. But PCs? It isn’t even a debate here. You need an anti-virus AND a malware/spyware scanner. And everyone should use common sense when clicking on links and websites. So, go and spend some time reading up on these things. A few good sites should do the trick.

There are a few other things to make your Mac or PC more secure. Again, I won’t go through steps for each, but after you’ve decided on the anti-virus and malware issues, a quick Google search for: Secure Windows 7, or XP, Vista, or Mac, should come up with a few excellent sites. These sites should tell you settings for such things as internet browser settings, logins, passwords, and other system settings designed to help keep you safe from all the nasties and thieves out there. It isn’t that hard and you won’t need to hire someone to do this (although you could).

When you’re done securing your computer or coming to peace with your choices about security, we’ll move on to the next step: eBills, on-line banking, and an email account only used for bill pay.

One thought on “Going Paperless: Data Security

  1. Pingback: Getting SuperGeeky: Paperless Workflow w/ my Mac & Hazel | Michelle Muto – Author

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How I Really Feel About Having a Newborn

I’m 35 weeks pregnant and will be “full-term” in about two weeks.  My actual due date is at the very beginning of August.

How do I feel about meeting baby in August?  I am excited and curious to see what this next little person will be like. Will he be anything like me?  The first turned out to be a carbon copy of her dad (in both her physical features and her personality). I should have known when she shot out of the womb looking exactly like him. It’s like she got everything from him, save for the Y chromosome.

But among the feelings of excitement and curiosity are also a bit of fear and anxiety. You see, I know better this time. I know that entering into motherhood isn’t all beautiful and rosy, mixed in with a bit of fatigue. I know that feeling of exhaustion beyond belief (I once asked my cousin, who is a doctor, if I was going to die or lose my senses from sleeping so little because it didn’t seem humanly possible for a person to function off of so little sleep for so long). I know what it’s like to wonder if I will ever sleep again (usually at 3 in the morning when you know the rest of the world is fast asleep). I know that bonding doesn’t always happen immediately (and sometimes, not for a long while), and sometimes it feels like there is a new stranger in your house to whom you have just become a slave. I know that breastfeeding can be a painful journey, and not one that all moms are able to continue through the first year (or in my case, after the first month). I know what postpartum depression feels like, having to make the decision to go on medication, wondering if I would ever stop feeling like a failure or like I could ever get a handle on this new mom thing. I also know that much of my memory of the newborn stage is marred by my postpartum depression (PPD), which felt like it lasted forever (when in reality it only lasted a couple months).

On my birthday which passed a few weeks ago, KK asked me what I wanted in this next year. And I couldn’t think of anything else except for wanting to really enjoy my new baby this time around. I know it’s hard to enjoy all aspects of the newborn stage, what with the physical recovery from labor, the sleepless nights, and sore, leaky breasts. But I would like to be able to look back on this time with my son and not shudder.

My expectations are different this time around. While I know my experience with PPD doesn’t necessarily mean I will go through it again, I also know that it is a very real possibility. And I know I won’t have the same first-time mom anxieties again, but sleep deprivation can make any sane person a little mad. I’m really hoping this little guy likes to sleep. A LOT.

For now, we wait with anticipation and a little bit of nerves.  All I can hope for is a healthy little baby in August, and pray that I don’t lose my mind in the process.  Here’s to the next five weeks of wondering, waiting, hoping, and longing.

3 thoughts on “How I Really Feel About Having a Newborn

  1. I love this. I love you guys. I love the little guy already! And don’t worry, you were always a little crazy, just couldn’t tell you directly.

  2. I think second time arounds it is definately easier. There are still udjustments to be made with the new member in the family. Amy, may God give you peace ad you wait for your precious baby boy.

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Happy New Ye…umm…Happy Year!

Wow, it’s been a long time since I posted!  I guess I really need to start working on those New Years resolutions, lol.  Just wanted to touch base…let you know I’m still kicking.  😉

Over the next few weeks, I’ve got several posts lined up…next weekend, you’ll see a tutorial for a mermaid tail for the Tolly Tot Princess Toddler dolls.  I mean really, isn’t it a little odd that Ariel doesn’t have a mermaid tail?  At the very least, couldn’t she have a fake one?  Well, with this tutorial, ALL the princess dolls can fulfill their dream of being mermaids.  As an aside, since Christmas, DD has managed to get her mitts on not one, not two, not three, BUT FOUR of those toddler dolls.  I’d say that they’re keepers.  And the dolls are going to need a substantially larger wardrobe.

Then on March 13th, I’ll be participating in a series called “Collectively Creative,” hosted by Cobwebs, Cupcakes and Crayons. To get a feel for the series, you should check out this posting by a dear friend of mine, who participated in the last series.  It’s absolutely huggable.  For my “Collectively Creative” March project (the theme is LUCKY), we’ll do a special St. Patrick’s Day craft that helps you count down to Easter – a great way to tie-together and celebrate both holidays.

In between those posts, I have some recipes that I just have to share with you – I’ve been meaning to for months, so the lull in between those major posts would be a good time, right?

So stay close by – you’re gonna be seeing a lot more action on this page this year!  See you back next week!

February 22, 2013 at 11:26 pm 1 comment

Planning for Christmas Already!

I know, I know…it’s early to be talking Christmas.  But I really have to start early!  This post is for you moms out there whose daughters have requested a doll for Christmas.  Specifically one of those Tolly Tots My First Disney Princess Dolls.  You know…like Merida with her bow and arrow.

Bet you can’t guess what DD asked for.  😛  Not only did she ask for the doll, but she also asked for me to make outfits for her doll.  For Christmas.  Problem is that most of the patterns out there are for 18″ dolls or for the 15″ baby dolls.  There’s nothing for 15″ toddler dolls.

So I did some math and some tinkering and worked up several outfits for these dolls.  In the coming year, my Etsy shop “A Petite Princess” will go live with ready-made outfits (reasonably priced and complete with hangers!) and $1 patterns.  The shop will be dedicated to the Tolly Tot toddler dolls AND the Tolly Tot princess baby dolls.  The goal is to have a soft-opening in March so that you can start building a modest wardrobe around Easter, when you know for sure that the dolls are going to be fairly permanent playmates.  😉

Keep following this blog, though, since I will be posting FREE TUTORIALS as well – the first post, scheduled for the end of February will be for a set of “mermaid” tails for the toddler dolls…because why doesn’t Ariel have a mermaid tail???

Progress?  In the past week, I’ve made a cotton dress, a flannel sleeping gown, and a pair of jersey capris.  At this rate, it’ll take me up until Christmas day to make a decent wardrobe for Merida and Mulan!  Lol.  *sigh*  The things we do for love.

And don’t forget to bookmark the Etsy shop’s profile for the official opening in March: http://www.etsy.com/shop/APetitePrincess!

September 21, 2012 at 10:19 pm 1 comment

Summer fun, now it’s begun!

Although it may be is a little premature to be celebrating summer here in the Inland Northwest, DD and I have been out every day soaking up the sun.  It got warm a bit too quickly for our tastes (high in the 40s one day, 80s the next?), but maybe the temperature spikes will level out in the next week or so…it looks like a cold front is due to blow in later this week, giving us those 60/70s that I love so much.

Today, we did one of our favorite activities from last summer; this year, it’s more fun because DD is 2 and, as a result, understands more of what we’re doing and can really be creative.  It’s so cheap and easy and fun on a hot day; you should try it, too.  You only need three things to do it, and you probably have them all already.  And I bet your older kids will enjoy it.  What is this activity you ask?

Calm down, calm down!  With WATER.  Not paint.  You can also do this on the sidewalk or your driveway.  The best part?  There’s no need to worry that your child will destroy anything, because it’s just water and it’ll all evaporate.  For this reason, I recommend having a camera on hand to take shots of any of your darling’s masterpieces that you’d like to have forever.  Or not and just enjoy the fleetingness of the moment.  That’s DD filling in the heart I painted for her.  🙂

A little caveat if you do this on your deck: we have Trex, so it doesn’t hurt to have water on it.  It also isn’t slippery.  I had a friend who tried this last summer and I think having her toddling baby on a slippery deck might have stressed her out just a little bit.  If you plan on doing this on your deck, you should test it out first before getting your kidlet all excited about your new activity.

So all you need are:

  1. A big bowl (or bowls…kids this age just love to pour water back and forth); I just used some stainless steel mixing bowls, but you could also use plastic tupperware or buckets or whatever.  You just need something to hold the water.
  2. A paintbrush of some kind…Ikea sells some inexpensive brushes.  Michael’s and Hobby Lobby run big sales on sponge brushes (I’ve gotten 20 brushes for a $1).  How about finger-painting?  And if your kid REALLY wants a brush, you could probably just use a toothbrush, too.
  3. And water.

That’s it.  Take your bowls of water wherever and sit back and relax while your child paints to his/her heart’s content.  Yes, your child will get very wet playing with the water, but when it’s hot outside, who cares?  Heck, maybe you’ll get lucky and there’ll be a water fight.

May 14, 2012 at 10:28 pm Leave a comment

A Six-Word Memoir

Just a little blurb today:

Overabundant enthusiasm might’ve jumped the shark.

Ah, a gentle reminder of the Aristotelian practice of “everything in moderation.”  I guess I’m always working towards the “Golden Mean.”

…but then, even the mean constantly changes.

August 7, 2011 at 10:13 pm Leave a comment

A Six-Word Memoir

Joyful expeditions – baby on a bike.

So Wednesday, I picked up an iBert safe-T-bike seat for DD on Craigslist.  I couldn’t believe my luck!  I’d been toying with the idea of getting one for months, but no stores in town carry it.  When I called and asked for it, I even got read the riot-act by some of the stores who insisted that I get a bike trailer instead of a seat.  It came down to buying it on Amazon.com or waiting.  DH wanted to wait and get a Strider Balance Bike for next summer, but I believed that there was a need for both.

Well boy, am I glad I got this seat!  That same afternoon, I got DD a bike helmet (that cost almost as much as the discounted bike seat!), had the seat installed in five minutes, and we were off through the neighborhood.  When we got back from our test ride, DD insisted that we go out again.  And again.  And again.  We were out for over an hour!!!  And the whole time, she was giggling and babbling away.  When I finally called it a day, DD had the words for “helmet” and “biking” down-pat.  We went out Thursday; Friday, I had gotten smart and decided the best time to ride was right after breakfast, while the weather was still cool.  Today, we rode to the Farmer’s Market (not something I’ll repeat often, since we had to cross a four-lane avenue that connected two state highways AND one of those highways…a scary experience).  Each time we’ve gone biking, we’ve been out for over an hour.  The whole ride, DD talks.  Today’s conversation revolved around birds, the sky, biking, horses, goats, biking, water, market, helmets, biking, honey, doggy, and biking.  I think I’ve definitely gotten my money’s worth already!  If only I’d gotten this seat sooner, the extra baby-weight (and maybe more) I’ve been carrying around might be gone, too!

Well, personal benefits aside, this seat has been great.  DD sits right between my arms, yet I can see over her head.  Her seat fits perfectly on my bike, and doesn’t impede my pedaling.  I don’t have balance issues, since she sits up front and not on the back, which keeps the “center” forward.  I can talk to her, point out things of interest to her, and keep an eye on her.  It feels safe; it’s definitely much safer than the old-fashioned back-mounted baby seats.  And I think it’s more fun for DD and me than a bike trailer.

Besides, I’ve heard of kids getting mud flung into their faces riding in bike trailers, and that doesn’t sound fun to me.

August 6, 2011 at 8:50 pm Leave a comment

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About Me

I'm Kim - "Minerva's Hand." Once a manager, teacher and marketing exec for non-profits, I now spend my days managing a household, teaching my daughter and crafting. Being a mom inspires me in so many ways! This blog was created with the hope of inspiring others.

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Editor's Note: Our community lost a special soul last week when Karen Landry passed away. Though she mostly lived and worked out of Los Angeles, she kept her deep ties in Minnesota and returned here regularly to work in theater (Park Square, Mixed Blood, etc.). She made a deep impression on anyone who knew her, worked with her, or met her even briefly (like myself). Years ago, she proposed this essay to MinnesotaPlaylist because, well, she was a generous person and she wanted to help you.

Thank you, Karen. You are missed.

Dear Young Actor:

I hear you want to move to L.A. and become a film and television actor? Well, come on out! The weather is fine (now that monsoon season is over).

Yes, it's sunny and in the low 70's here on the Westside. In February, I know that has a special meaning for Minnesnowtans. I have just returned from my daily trek to the beach where I watch the waves and the surfers riding them, and I remember to be grateful for my life here.

Then I go home and contact my agents. Show business in Los Angeles is truly about business. And it's large—industrial-sized. It takes time to develop a career here.

If you are unsure whether to come to L.A. or not, let me ask: Do you want to concentrate on the theater? If so, then stay in Minnesota, or go to New York. Theater is not the reason to be in L.A. There is plenty of it here, and some of it excellent, but other than the Mark Taper Forum or South Coast Rep, and a few others, most of it is done for free (as in "a showcase"). "Equity-waiver" is the term you'll hear connected with most theater in LA and it means, "professionals acting for no pay."

Minnesota, on the other hand, has a terrific theater scene. I often go back to my home state to work onstage, and I am always impressed by the talent in the Twin Cities.

The place to be for film

But if you are interested in film and television, then Los Angeles is the destination for you. This is still Mecca for that industry despite the fact that much of the filming is done in other areas, like Canada, Louisiana, even Iowa.

I recently worked on a zombie movie in Iowa City , and my hubby, actor Chris Mulkey, is in New York this week shooting Boardwalk Empire, a new series for HBO. But wherever films go, they still cast the bigger roles out of L.A. Writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, they all tend to base themselves here. Two costume designers live on my block and next door is a property master who works on huge films. On the other side of me is an editor. We are indeed a film community.

So if you want to have a career in film and television, you want to be here. And you know it won't be easy. (To quote my mother: "If it's easy, it's not worth doing.")

How do you pack a contact?

So, what items will you be essential to your move?

  1. A car
  2. Money
  3. Contacts
  4. A union card
  5. Passion

This was the advice I received years ago when I came out here from Minnesota myself. I pioneered my way west in my Toyota Corolla, stuffed to the gills with all my junk, and my boyfriend (who turned right around and went back to Minnesota). And I found the advice to be accurate, then and now. Plus, it also included this wisdom: Go when you are young —especially women.

L.A. is massive and decentralized—show biz happens all over the place. Casting offices are all over, even at the beach, and studios are everywhere, from the far-flung Simi Valley areas to East L.A. Often I will put 30 or more miles on my car just going for an audition. Public transportation doesn't cut it—you've got to have a reliable automobile. Because, yes, you can spend your life in a car. Most actors I know keep a few changes of clothes—certainly gym stuff as well as a stack of headshots and resumes in their back seat. If you don't have any of the other essentials—have a car! One that works well.

And money is essential in Los Angeles too. Not only because it costs a lot to live here, but also because there is so much of it in this town, and it shows. Like a parody of capitalism, people flaunt their money. Bling is ubiquitous. It can be daunting, and despite your Midwest sensibilities, you may want to front that you have some money too. Many people in the biz will spend big bucks on a "status car" to appear successful as they roll up to the valet or the studio gate. Meanwhile, they may be living in a one room apartment in unpretentious Burbank.

The starving artist routine is not big here, and to be honest, the money thing was quite an adjustment for me. I was raised not to brag about what's in your barn—but it seems like in L.A. you had to look rich to get rich. It's not really true, but until you find your community here and get involved in the work, it can feel that way. (I still can't seem to spend it the way many do.)

The good news: even a medium-sized career in film and television can pay very well. Actors who may not be famous, but who work a lot, can have really nice houses. Since it costs a million for the equivalent of a shack on a postage stamp these days, residuals do flow in sometimes.

In the beginning, you will need enough money to cover some months' rent —$1100 for a one bedroom. Then there's gas—more sticker shock there, compared to Minnesota. And, you will need to redo those headshots many times. It seems the first thing agents and casting directors tell you is to "Get new pictures!"

You should have money for classes too. Actors in L.A. tend to keep studying even after they get their careers going. Good for growth, and networking too.

You will do lunches

Networking is the ultimate business tool. Having contacts in the industry when you arrive will help you get started building your network of support (people who know and like you). Use your contacts shamelessly to help you get closer to people involved in the biz. I made a pledge to make three business calls a day and pushed myself harder than I thought was even seemly. (The "Minnesota nice" thing isn't one of the best tools for actors.)

Your very first goal here is to get representation. You need an agent, or a manager, in order to get into casting offices. It's difficult, as agents and managers are less interested in you until you have an impressive resume. Catch 22. There are online casting sites such as Nowcasting, Actor's Access, and many others that will connect you with auditions but most of those are for nonunion work. To develop a career here you need to maintain good representation and that is a chore that remains constant attention no matter how much work you've done. One excellent source of information is Samuel French's, the publisher of plays. They have bookstores in LA specializing in scripts, as well as catalogues, updated every few months, listing agencies and managers and casting directors.

The union aspect is critical. Yes, there's plenty of non-union work in LA: films, webisodes, and commercials. However if that's the only work you do, you will never be "seen." You need to be in SAG or AFTRA to even audition for television shows and films for mainstream distribution. Most agents won't take on actors without union cards. You can become a union member out here by working on a union project, but if you get the chance to join in Minnesota, do it!

Stay positive

Lastly, passion fuels the career engine. You've gotta love the work to put up with the frustrations and humiliations. Rejection is standard procedure. I realized long ago that one needs to maintain an irrational tenacity in order to stay in the game. Passion will give you that. It will help you get past the money thing I talked about earlier, keeping you focused on the work, not the image.

Taking classes and doing work in theater whether or not you are paid help to feed passion while building your network of support. Your passion should lead you to initiate your own project: write a script, rent a camera and make your own film with your friends. There may be plenty of time in between auditions and jobs and use that time to create a piece of work that can put you on the map.

The industry is fiercely competitive and your passion is necessary to keep your spirits up, so you can do your best—and shake it off when your best doesn't get you the job.

After reading all this, you may want to stay in Minnesota and make your own films. The indie film scene used to be very lively there and seems to be coming back. I've done several films in Minnesota, and some did rather well. Patti Rocks, a film Chris and I co-wrote and starred in, made it into Sundance and received awards in various festivals around the world, before getting distribution in theaters. You can also wait for Hollywood to come to you. The Coen brothers cast quite a few Minnesotans in A Serious Man. North Country did as well.

In fact, it's a good idea to get experience at home before going to L.A. When you are seeking representation, they will always ask to see film of you. They want to look at your reel. I came here after having worked for three full seasons at the Guthrie, and I had a reel full of commercials. The reel was probably more helpful than the theater since I was often asked, "Why does Woody Guthrie run that theater in Minnesota?"

And, one final piece of advice: Be positive, no matter what you think of L.A., privately, when they ask (and they always do), tell them something you like about it. Don't let your Minnesota pride prevent you from being gracious. Yes, you come from a place of hale and hardy intelligent people with well-built homes, who mow their own grass, but you must open your mind up to the wonders of the teeming suburban metropolis that is Los Angeles.

Well best of luck to you, whatever you decide.

Karen Landry Mulkey


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The more I read about Kesha’s story, the more my heart breaks for her. I get more and more heated with every post I read. I am utterly infuriated. Ten years of sexual, physical, mental, and emotional abuse should be enough justification to terminate a recording contract. Kesha is locked in a contract that requires her to record her next six albums with her abuser in order to be promoted and distributed by Sony. I am utterly repulsed by the New York State Supreme Court for making a decision that forces a woman to work with her abuser in order to continue her career.

She endured this abuse in silence for ten years. She lived in fear that no one would believe her story or that the abuse would increase if she spoke up. She didn’t even want to put her abuser behind bars. All she wanted was to terminate a recording contract. And the New York Supreme Court would not grant that to her. It’s embarrassing. It’s 2016 and victims are still dismissed. Where is the justice in that? It takes an immense amount of courage to speak out while enduring this kind of abuse. Especially when every aspect of your life is already in the public sphere. Kesha is truly a warrior.

The more I read, the more I want to take action. I don’t want this to happen to another woman ever again. I want equal rights and justice. The music industry chews you up and spits you out. Nobody deserves to be sexually and emotionally abused on top of that. I began to get frustrated with myself because I know there is nothing I can directly do to help poor Kesha Rose.

However, I am a woman graduating in May in the top 10% of my class with a Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts Management. I can fight from the inside. I can promote change and women’s rights. This industry is dominated by men, that I know, but I view it as a challenge. I refuse to go into a field that I find easy. I want to be an inspiration and I want to make a difference. I want to manage, book, promote, develop, and produce artists in a positive environment. Artists expose their entire lives and pour out their entire souls to us. It makes them extremely vulnerable. I want to protect and support them, so they can focus on their craft, and continue to entertain their audience.

Godspeed, Kesha Rose. Hope is stronger than fear. xx

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Are Third-Party Keyboards Secure?

anas-alshanti-169265Third-party keyboards have been one of the biggest hits of iOS 8 since its launch last week. But are they secure? This concern derives from a standard warning displayed by iOS 8 when the keyboards are granted “full access.” Different keyboard apps break down their feature sets between standard install and “full access” differently.

The top free keyboard app this year was SwiftKey Keyboard. While the basic keyboard works with a standard installation, key features like word predictions and the finger-tracing typing require that full access be granted.  Naturally, users were worried that their information, was being sent back to SwiftKey.  Jennifer Kutz, Communications Chief for SwiftKey, assures users that despite the request for full access, “none of your language insights leave your device unless you choose our optional SwiftKey Cloud service.” Certain types of information such as credit card numbers, or any other long numbers, are intentionally ignored by SwiftKey.

The second most popular option is Fleksy Keyboard – Happy Typing.  Unlike SwiftKey, Fleksy does not require full access be granted in order for predictions to function. Full access is required, however, for other personalization and customization options such as pulling in Facebook, Gmail, and Twitter typing data.  Founder and chief operating officer Ioannis Verdelis says, “Fleksy performs all of its processing locally on the device, and does not need Full Access to perform its corrections.  Users can improve its performance if they want, by allowing network access so they can sync their language data, but this is completely optional.  We don’t collect people’s keystrokes, typing data, credit card numbers, etc, regardless of whether you enable Full Access or not.”

Lastly, the third most popular keyboard, Swype.  Rebecca Paquette of Nuance Communications states, “The features we were most focused on for our launch were speed and accuracy – a keyboard that is intuitive and powerful to use.”  Unlike some other keyboards, Swype does not include an option for pulling in typing data from Facebook and Gmail, and does not offer a cloud backup or syncing services.  This simplicity allows it to forgo the need for full access.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is trust. Granting a keyboard full access means that any data can be transmitted back the developer’s servers for a variety of uses. So while there are potential risks to granting a keyboard full access, users weighing the usefulness of a keyboard should be informed enough to consider whether or not to grant full access.

Sourced: 11/29/16

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Review: Maybelline Pure Mineral concealer and Shu Uemura Point Cealer

As you already know I went to HK and I had a hard time controlling myself from buying everything in the Asian drugstores :) As promised I'd review some of the things, first up: liquid concealers!

I got myself a drugstore and a high end one, namely a Maybelline and a Shu Uemura one.

The Maybelline concealer comes in 2 shades: light and medium. The little tube contains 5.5ml and comes with a built-in brush.
After seeing some of the Youtubers using this I thought I'd give it a try. I think this is one of the better drugstore concealers out there. I think it's convenient because of its size,the coverage is good, it's cheap and I like the yellow undertone of it. It can look a little bit cakey if you apply too much product, so always start off with the tiniest amount you can get.

Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer no1 light

Then we have our high end concealer: the Shu Uemura concealer which comes in 4 shades. It contains 2.8ml (half the Maybelline one!) and it's the kind you have to twist to let the product come out, so bye bye hygiene!
First of all I don't like the applicator, would have appreciated a brush type for the least. This twist kind of pen makes it difficult to control the amount you need, because it'll continue leaking out a little bit of product after you stopped twisting it. The remainder will dry on the applicator and get wasted, which is a bit of a shame if you pay that much for a concealer if you ask me.

On the other hand a little goes a long way, so I suggest you twist just a little bit at a time so you don't have to waste too much product. It reduces the discoloration on my face such as redness or dark circles, so it does the job a concealer has to do: exactly...conceal :) Oh, and have I mentioned that this product is TINY? Great for the travelers among us!

Shu Uemura Point Cealer 7YR-L light beige

Here's a swatch from both goodies:
left: Maybelline - right: Shu Uemura

Overall, I like them. I like the consistency and they're easy to blend. Don't use too much and you'll go a long way with both concealers. Best thing is to use a staying powder on the concealer, so it'll last much longer. I will definitely repurchase the Maybelline concealer again. Something I'm not sure I can say about the Shu Uemura one. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good concealer, I just really dislike the applicator. Change the applicator, and we have my HG concealer!

  1. Is the Maybelline concealer a mineral one?
    Interesting blog name, do check out my beauty blog too!
    Much appreciated!:)

  2. I love your blog! I just followed you,
    would you mind taking a look at my blog?

    1. Thnx, that's very sweet of you :)


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Archive for September, 2008

it’s a small one but…..

September 28, 2008

1.  there is a rain chance on tuesday which will be the turning point this week weatherwise. monday sunshine and low 80’s will continue. a cold front will come through tuesday with only a small shower chance but a decent balst of cooler air and gusty winds, highs will fall back into the 70’s.

tuesday noon (GFS)

NAM tuesday noon

3. I think condtions will continue to be cloduy blustry and more fall like through wednesday with highs only in the 60’s some lake effect sprinkles and upslope showers ( far SE) are possible as the wind direction behind the front is ideal for some upslope stuff. the gfs shows this nicely.

4. the wind flow turns more westerly for thursday and friday as high pressure builds in and temps rebound into the 70’s.

shout out to the philadelphia phillles for clinching the NL east!!!!!!!!!

weekend ahead ( updated)

September 24, 2008

2. friday will see clouds wind and even shower chances pick up to a little over 50% by saturday morning from a tropical system moving from the carolina coast west into the apps due to ridging in new england, the exact postion of the low will determine the extent of shower coverage on our side of the mountains. NWS chances still low there thinking is for downsloping ( moisture gets rung out on the east side of the apps leaving nothing but rain shadows on our side of the apps) to be a major player. That is a concern of mine with this set-up however most of the models do bring rain at much higher chances than 20% into the region except for the model of choice by so many which has been  not doing well recently,the GFS. let the model war begin!!!!!! ( models have trended east today with any rain showers)

sat image of tropical system

NAM radar

fri noon

sref ensembles

CMC model

3. the low may hang around into saturday as well with more clouds showers and wind again postion is key highs should held down in the 70’s both friday and saturday. again chances about 50%

4. sunday should see clearing condtions and a chance to get outdoor activities in.

friday night football forecast

tates creek@ paul dunbar cloudy, windy 10 mph NE 30% rain showers 67*

casey county @ jackson county cloudy, windy 20 mph NE 60% rain showers  66*

cloudy N wind 10-15 MPH 40% rain showers 65*

The Week Ahead and a CFS winter sneak peek

September 21, 2008

1. surprise on an isolated scale on saturday just enough moisture came north against the flow from a week disturbance to produce a storm or two even with with high pressure in control, NAM actually had the storm chance for western ky for this disturbance. The same may be said for sunday 80 or so with an even less storm chance than today.

2. don’t worry the disturbance leaves by monday keeping the dry streak going for almost all of us. sunny skies through the week with highs near 80.

3. tropical trouble off the east coast with a low forming off the carolina coast, maybe into a subtropical storm and a tropical wave pushing into the bahammas by the weekend. P.S: the CMC has rain from this by week’s end.

CFS winter look ahead today’s run was one that is a dream run for snow and cold lovers much different than a even a week ago which had a very warm winter. this thing changes wildly every day remember that. this is just for fun!!!!!

thanksgiving flakes??

pre-chirstmas winter storm

early jan snow

the big one

winter to the extreme

 this run of the cfs gives the region around 30 inches of snow way above avg ( 10 was the total on monday’s run) hope you enjoyed the sneak peak.

same old song and dance

September 18, 2008

1. friday through sunday should see high pressure in control with highs near 80 and light winds with very little in the way of clouds are biggest moments will be a NE wind shifting from 2 to 4 mph and going from sunny to partly cloudy.

2. high pressure in control for long stretches has been a recuring theme recently and will continue to be the case. the next small chance of rain is not untill sept 28 from ironically a tropical system off the east coast.

some events

ryder cup  ( i don’t really follow golf but this event is close to home this year)

all three days. light jackets may be needed

AM: chilly, clear morning dew on the grass light wind 50*

noon: sunny light wind 70*

eve: partly cloudy little wind. high 79*

high school football

woodford county@ bryan station fair 74* light wind.

Bell county@ rockcastle county fair 72* light wind.

enjoy this great weather that gives weatherman like me a semi-vacation  but it comes at a price

IKE recap

September 16, 2008

recap of IKE

1. sunday’s wind

nws pictures ( trees down in louisville)

roof damage on this one in prospect ky

this house took a beating in indiana

more photos are up @ www.nws.noaa.gov/lmk  thanks to the people who donated these photos to the nws.

2. gulf coast

panic at this gas station in tenn (CNN)

iReporter Stacy Haynes said this Harriman, Tennessee, station was selling regular gas at $5.09 a gallon Saturday.

galveston nearly leveled (CNN)

Debris from Hurricane Ike is piled against storefronts in Galveston, Texas, on Monday.

 people wait for supplies in houston (CNN)

Fearing food shortages, customers line up to buy groceries in League City, Texas, on Sunday.

boats in galveston after ike (CNN)

Boats and debris lie in a pile in Galveston, Texas, on Saturday after Ike smashed into the Gulf Coast.

– there were 13 deaths 1 local due to ike and many people who took big losses from ike thoughts/prayers i’m sure would be appricated.

for the rest of this week we’re high and dry with 70’s for highs and 50’s for lows with no rain.


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My Favorite Quotes (2)

One day you may realize you lost a diamond while you were busy collecting stones. – @idillionaire
I am happy because I choose to be… not because everything falls into place for me. It’s not easy, but I am strong. – @TheNoteboook
You made your own choices, so don’t blame anyone for the consequences. – @TheNoteboook
Happiness is like a rainbow. Sometimes we can only see it after we’ve shed enough tears in our ‘cloudy’ days. – @ihatequotes
Live without pretending, love without depending, listen without defending, speak without offending. – @TheNoteboook
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. via @GreatestQuotes
If you think it’s necessary to judge me by my past, don’t get mad when I put you there. – @TheNoteboook
There’s always some truth behind: Just kidding, Knowledge behind: I don’t know, Emotion behind: I don’t care & Pain behind: It’s okay. – @TheNoteboook
Sahabat adalah mereka yg tahu semua kekuranganmu, namun tetap memilih bersamamu ketika orang lain meninggalkanmu. – @pepatah
Don’t quit because thing went wrong. Quit because you tried your hardest and nothing made it better. – @LargerThanWords
“Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. The sun shines not on us but in us.” – D’Angelo and Muir via @tifsembiring
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Tag Archives: Not Me Monday!

Not Me Monday!

Ok, so I didn’t let my kids come straight home from their first day back at school, plop down in front of the TV and watch a movie!  Nope, not me.  And I didn’t let them eat cold cereal in … Continue reading

Posted in Not Me Monday! | Tagged | Leave a comment