Everyday Boy

Serenity Prayer

Back in January I felt a lack of inspiration - just in going about the day to day, but I found a hint of it when I stumbled upon the serenity prayer on a step one drug and alcohol meeting card, amidst a youth's belongings.  I was surprised to find more than the first three lines that I have usually come to associate the prayer with:

Serenity Prayer

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change
Courage to change the things we can
Wisdom to know the difference
Patience for the things that take time
Appreciation for all that we have
Tolerance for those with different struggles
The freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways
The ability to feel your love for us and our love for each other
And the strength to get up and try again even when we feel it's hopeless

It holds a lot of things I have come to hold true in my life: that life happens best in a community; that patience means we may suffer through things for a time; that gratitude is important to infuse in one's life; that we all struggle now and then and need understanding and support; that we are all reaching beyond what we now know to something better; that we all need to love and feel loved; and that we need hope above all things.  Such simple things that are sometimes lost along the way.

Sunflowers

 

I love Van Gogh's sunflower paintings. We saw this version at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City last October.  I like to hang a picture of his sunflowers at the entrance of a place because, as I understand it, Van Gogh did the same as a sign of welcome to his visitors. I tried cultivating a sunflower out on our sunny balcony without any luck last month, but hope to try again.  I have been reminded of Van Goh a lot in our neighborhood, admiring rows of bright irises in a garden and looking up at the tall cypresses blowing in the wind.

Summer Splash

This is Tammy being ambushed by her father at our resort's pool in Varadero, Cuba back in May.  From my first batch of test shots from my colorful lomographic action sampler camera.  The photos' colors came out like old 70's vacation pictures.

The Story of Pink Martini

A few years ago I was introduced to the music of Pink Martini by my sister and brother-in-law, and this past weekend got a chance to see them live in concert for the first time at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, where they were accompanied by a fifty piece orchestra.

I serendipitously found their first and third albums at a used record store on Commercial Drive, and am looking forward to their new album in the Fall, which they recorded with a full orechestra.

Eat, Memory

I discovered the local public library up the hill from us a few weeks ago, and am looking at stemming my appetite for books, music and movies there, instead of haunting local book, music, and video stores.  I figure it will be easier on my wallet, as well as our limited and burgeoning storage space.

I picked up a collection of essays from the New York Times called Eat, Memory: Great Writers at the Table featuring food inspired recollections by some of America's leading writers: playwrights, screenwriters, novelists, poets and journalists.  Not just stories but recipes too.  It reminds me of an idea a friend's mother made about writing memorable meals in the margins of our cookbooks so as not to forget them.

Editor, Amada Hesser writes: "Writers know that if you want to portray a person succinctly, tellingly, you describe the way he (she) eats.  Food is the royal road to the unconscious." (11)  Which has me thinking about the way I eat, as well as the desire to cultivate good eating habits - slow food as opposed to fast food.

I found a package of gnocchi to cook up this week at the neighborhood grocery store, and decided to cook up a simple Alfredo sauce to go with it.  I found a recipe in Mark Bittman's dictionary-like recipe book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipe's for Great Food (which I have barely scratched the surface of).  I would like to try and master simple recipes like this:

Maybe overkill, but good nevertheless:  Reduce the butter to 2 tablespoons and melt it gently.  While the pasta cooks, combine two eggs, 1 1/2 cup heavy cream (I substituted skim milk and some corn starch), and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese in a warmed bowl; beat briefly.  Sprinkle with pepper.  When the past is cooked, toss it with the cheese mixture, adding a little of the cooking water if necessary to keep the mixture moist.  Drizzle with the butter, toss well, and serve immediately. (447)