One Step at a Time

I just made "Cold Avocado Soup" from my recipe book, and it seriously took me five minutes!! Now it just needs to chill in the fridge for a few hours. Man, this cooking thing is awesome. I haven't mentioned it, but back in February, I made my very first quiche. Quiche is B's specialty; last year for my birthday I specifically requested he make one because we hadn't had it in so long. Well, now I make my own, and I've made about seven or eight ever since then! I mean, this is seriously my very first real cooked dish! I've only ever made eggs and sandwiches, nothing that involved baking or whatever. I even took pictures of my quiche; I was so proud. But I can't find the charger for my camera right now, and it won't turn on, so I'm just using a stock pic I found off the internet.


So after five months of repeating (but not yet perfecting) and devouring the same dish, I finally decided to get on trying something new. A couple of weeks ago, I tried making "Open-Faced Crab Sandwiches," but the crab mix turned out God-awful. Come to think of it, it's still sitting there in the fridge. Oops. Anyway, I just now made the soup, and tomorrow I'm attempting my first pasta: bow-tie with shrimp and pesto. I personally would've preferred linguine or fettuccine, but since I'm new to this whole "making your own food" thing, I'm going to stick to the recipe. Our beautiful kitchen is actually more useful than just being aesthetically pleasing. Who knew?!

Free Your Mind

Suh-weet! I just found a deal for a one year subscription (6 issues 'cause it's bimonthly) price of $17.95 to Mental Floss--and my last issue (pictured) just came in the mail yesterday. It says it's a limited time offer, but this post was from 2006, and the link still works. This magazine is so worth it! The two times I've brought a copy up to the salon, it was stolen within two days. Even Trang loves it, and she's one of those solely US Weekly and People bitches. Check out their blog some time; it's a great indication of the type and tone of articles you receive in the mag. Three recent articles I found noteworthy (among many) are "Mutual Funds to Match Your Lifestyle" (link), "7 Imposters" (link), and "7 Works of Art That Are Taking a Beating" (link). Because this is where knowledge junkies get their fix.

Shut Up

Never seek to tell thy love,
Love that never told can be;
For the gentle wind doth move
Silently, invisibly.

I told my love, I told my love,

I told her all my heart,

Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears.

Ah! she did depart!

Soon after she was gone from me,

A traveller came by,

Silently, invisibly:

He took her with a sigh.

-Love's Secret, by William Blake

The Impression That I Get

My only prior exposure to Henry James was Daisy Miller: A Study, practically a requirement in every English Lit anthology. I didn't find it anything too special, so I wasn't expecting much from The Portrait of a Lady, hailed by many as his greatest masterpiece. Yeah. How can I put this? His writing is entirely extraordinary. I could sit here and gush for hours about how his way with words is exquisitely eloquent and magnificently molded. If you're more about substance than style, this is not the book for you. James wrote in over 600 pages a story which arguably could be told in less than 100. It's as if he took a small subplot from a more complex storyline, and diluted it with dreamy details and diaphanous descriptions. Even more infuriating for the average reader, it's like he then decided there was no point in providing a proper conclusion to the subplot, since it was part of a much larger tale anyway. So be warned, it's one of those open-ended stories. I've almost always loathed those, but this time I was so in awe of the author that I barely minded.


I really don't think I've ever encountered his style of writing before. The entire time I was reading it, a persistent metaphor kept popping into my head: an impressionist painting. It's a little lame to say, and I don't know why I kept thinking that--it's not like I'm an art connoisseur. But you know how Monet's vanilla skies are all gorgeously hazy and luminously blurred, intent on offering an impression instead of a sharp picture? That's how Henry James writes! Instead of saying, "Well, he turned out to be very different from what she first believed," he writes, "In that sense, that of the love of harmony and order and decency and of all the stately offices of life, she went with him freely, and his warning had contained nothing ominous. But when, as the months had elapsed, she had followed him further and he had led her in to the mansion of his own habitation, then, then she had seen where she really was." Oh, baby. Just you wait! This introspective inspection continues for many, many more pages. But if you can stare at Monet's lush landscapes for hours, don't be surprised if you fall for the wondrous works of Henry James.

Claude Monet, Woman with a Parasol, 1875

Enjoy the Silence

B is currently in Europe for the next three weeks. He's sort of playing this excursion by ear, but most likely it's Paris, Ireland, possibly Birmingham, a quick visit to the fam in Belgium, Malta, and finally Spain. I. Am. So. Jealous. If the Malta trip goes through, he will be staying a couple nights at the The Westin and then a couple nights at The Hilton--both five-star resorts. And since this is for work, everything is on the company tab. For the past couple of weeks leading up to this, I'd constantly whine, "I want to goooo...!!" His reply? "Maybe if you were my girlfriend!" Bastard.

The Westin Dragonara Resort

What sets this outing apart from the others, besides the fact that he'll be frolicking in an uber lux Mediterranean paradise, is that we've decided to cut off all contact. Keep in mind that B and I are total communication whores. Ever since we got together, there have been exactly five days when we didn't speak at all to one another (yes, shut up, I keep track). Well, that excludes his trip to Brazil in 2005, and last Christmas when he was in a remote Swiss cabin. We abuse our mobile-to-mobile minutes, typically speaking five times a day, although it reduces to one or two times when he's abroad. Yeah, that includes this whole time that we've been broken up. Once he was spanked by his boss for calling me too much overseas, tallying up the company cell phone bill to $2000. We talk on the phone on the way to one another's places, and then get on the phone immediately upon leaving each other's place.

The Hilton Malta

It might sound nuts to most people, but I love it. However, I suggested a talking break because I really think it'd be good for us. What triggered it was B's last work trip two weeks ago, when he was in Mexico. We spent most of our time arguing and feeling crappy. I do not need a repeat of that. Plus, it'll give us time to miss each other! I wanted to do this for the entire three weeks, but Bernard made a good point that he's going to have to call me when he's with his family, or else they'll wonder what's up with us. Plus I still have to give him my shopping list, teehee. Foie gras, chocolate, souvenir mugs (I've started a collection, funded by B), an oiled up Mediterranean man, candy, and Spanish salami. Oomf.

Images of Malta

Oh yeah, and Isaac and I aren't on speaking terms for the moment, and over something really stupid, too. I'm just going to give a quick summary; otherwise my blood will start boiling over it again. (I admit it; one of my many faults is that I can't debate without getting emotionally involved. Trust me, it sucks.) Basically, he completely overreacted and started going off on me over the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. No, scratch that. That's giving the guy waaaay too much credit. He went off on me because I sent him a link (this one) to an article about a 70 year old Palestinian shepherd and his 58 year old wife getting the crap beat out of them by four Jewish assholes. Look, I don't care what ethnicity you are; if you're wielding bats to elderly goat herders, you are a fucking asshole. He could have been rational and said, "Wow, that's awful, but you have to understand that..." and pleaded his case. Instead, he started spewing a whole bunch of racist shit about Arabs, ranted about the BBC's preferential views of Palestine, insisted he had zero sympathy for the victims (that's attractive), and told me off for being biased and affronting his people. Unbelievable! Yeah, I'm just gonna end this now because this might lead to me ranting about how idiotic and close-minded he is, which'll probably lead to me generalizing all conservatives, which'll make me no better than Isaac, that idiotic and close-minded conservative!!