It is July. That means that it is time for the annual 50 book challenge. This year sees an added twist with a goal of reading 25 by 31 December, 2009.

Currently reading: The Witch in the Well by Sharan Newman

My Librarything.

Last night was an amazing storm. It was on the short side, lasting only 1/2 hour or so before the steady rain settled in for an hour and then began to taper off... but holy cow did it pack a wallop. The wind gusts were brutal, I rescued a few overturned flower pots this morning [quite carefully, as two are prickly pear plants] and the widow makers were on the ground once more.

A large tree that must have lost a bit of anchoring soil from the road construction had come down last night and the Asplundi crew was out feeding the chipper this morning. The power came back on around 2 am: looking at the tree damage this morning, I'm sure that the electric company was taking care of minor cleanups and outages all over the county last night and this morning.

My question now, is what shall I need to sacrifice tonight so that I can avoid an evening of sickness or weather so that I can start crossing items off my to-do list?

I currently have some codes that I am willing to give away to those who want them. Comment here with your email and I will send one to you.

All comments are screened.

I spent half my life in the doctor's office again this morning, but the verdict is good.

The middle beastie's BP was back to normal at 120/86 and Dr Khetpal agreed with me that the Monster energy drinks are to be saved for occasional use only, as a treat. She thought that the elevated BP was due to the stress of the nose bleed, lack of sleep, and to be on the safe side, the beastie will go 2ce this week and 1ce next week to have the BP checked.

The ear got washed, and instead of screaming like a girl [which is perfectly okay if you are a girl] he said it felt good and was a bit of a relief. The peroxide must have washed enough gunk out that the ear drops can get into all the little crannies to do their job.

Beastiette is alright. Her headache can be treated with Tylenol and the scrapes with Neosporin. She did display some mild signs of concussion, so we'll be keeping an eye on her, but on the whole, think that she's already on the mend.

The pool is to be avoided for a few days, so it's just as well it looks like we might get afternoon storms.

Now, to pick up yesterday's slack...

from SP at the USA World Cup team blog:

ok the vuvuzela is annoying but it is a part of south african football. i don’t know about banning it, but maybe only allow them during matches in which RSA plays next summer? if we really want to make the experience better, let’s ban tommy smyth.

LOL. Agreed.

From UKN:

Pazuzu: Ironically, Saucy Jack's nocturnal pastimes acted as a catalyst that brought about major social change and improvements for societies lowest subjects throughout the UK. I like to think of him as a very, very radical social campaigner!

Mbrierly: One may also think of Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Bush, Pol Pot and Ghenghis Khan in the same way. Personally I think I'd go with Jesus, Mohammed, Mother Theresa and Ghandi!

Pazuzu: Nice lineup, add Jack the Ripper and it'd be a great cast for Dead Celebrity Big Brother. Better still, add Jesus, Mohammed, Mother Theresa and Ghandi for a bit of extra spice. Mother Theresa could get her kit off and find loving comfort in the arms of Jesus after Hitler throws a wobbly, complaining that the oven is electric and spending the weeks food allowance on muscle-man porn.

No, I've not yet watched the match as I really would like to be awake and alert for it, so viewing will occur tonight.

Still, it's hard not to know the result... no, scratch that as I am living in the USA and I could have lived in blessed ignorance for years not knowing the way national sports reporting ignores anything that is not baseball, American football, or girls in skimpy two piece suits bouncing their bits around on a beach.

ESP 0 - 2 USA!

Technical issues at work [does not include throwing machine off roof to reboot... yet] meant severely limited net connections but I do have some txt highlights from Brooks Peck that kept me entertained during the silent afternoon.

2:27 pm ET — The Spanish team really is a collage of diversely awful hairstyles, isn’t it?

2:35 — I know they just did that whole “say no to racism” bit, but if I attacked everyone blowing those damn vuvuzela’s would that really be considered a hate crime? Are vuvuzela blowers a race unto themselves?

2:39 — OH MY GOD DEMPSEY ALMOST SKIDDED THAT ONE INTO THE CORNER! Wow. It was almost 1-0 USA. Holy crap.

2:55 — Why are they having this tournament (and the World Cup) in a place where it’s winter time during the event? Seems silly.

2:57 — ( SWEET PAPPY JOHNSON WITH AN ERECTION THE USA IS WINNING!!!!! )

Nicked from blktauna

Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

Mary Gentle (b. 1956)

9 High-Brow, 15 Violent, 21 Experimental and 19 Cynical!

...only to face Spain. Eep.

Hopefully someone caught the match and I can watch it as I was watching Brazil vs Italy today. Truly, a day of upset all round.

ETA: told the beasties the scores and they began chanting:

USA, USA, Spain will crush us, USA.

LOL. I adore them so much.

I managed to make a tweet or 2 before my brain threatened to shut down altogether, and then I did just slump on the sofa... and reread the same two pages before I decided to just give up and go to sleep.

The pages that I read, and conveniently bookmarked by setting the book down on the floor, hold these two passages that I keep coming back to today:

She will not settle for anything less, and is unwilling to compromise if that means denying her essential values, beliefs, or ideals. Lilith radiates strength, courage, and passion, and she takes a stand for independence and freedom from tyranny. She is that quality in us that refuses to be bound in a relationship,... but wants equal freedom to move, change, and be herself. She will not cooperate in her own vicitimisation, and will opt for no relationship as opposed to a bad one. Rather than be dominated and suppressed, Lilith accepts the loss of physical security, loneliness, and exclusion from society. In her voluntary exile from relatedness, she has the capacity to nurture and sustain herself.

and

The inner pressure that accumulates when any energy is confined and constricted eventually precipitates in a violent explosion. In the forceful outburst of our repressed anger, we have the capacity to see and speak our truth. However, this clarity can also destroy the false pretensions that give form to our self-defeating relationships with our partners, parents, bosses, spiritual and academic teachers, or groups. In the face of what has been exposed, we cannot go back to the old patterns of self-denial and resume our relationship as if nothing happened.

Now, take all of the above and reread it with certain aspects of LiveJournal in mind, and that is the point where I am. It is time to cut away the 'poisonous playmates' and burn bridges. I'd consider fertilising the gardens of IJ and DW with them, but they might be, far and away, too caustic to put on such creative ground.

"A healthy priestess makes all things sound."

There was no reporting on yesterday's Confederations Cup matches. The connection issues at work are still rearing their hydraesque heads, but I get paid hourly, so that is my mantra as I wait, and wait, and wait for simple pages such as, say Google, to load.

I did catch the highlights [thank you, YouTube] and wow. I can't wait to watch the matches tonight, though. And Big Brother. Yes, I know...

but, it is like everything that is wrong with today's modern society thrown into one ring. The anthropologist in me is terribly fascinated, and the rest of me is the typical 'it's like a train wreck, but I can't look away' apologist.

ESP 1 - 0 IRQ

I still think that it should have been 2 for Spain, but that's just me. They played with a considerable amount of class and restraint [I thought] given the diving antics going on by the other side. Or maybe there was just extra gravity in a few localised places, I don't know...

Semiramis was waiting for me today at work. I have my BPAL sent here as the mail delivery in my neighbourhood is shite...

ZOMG!

My only regret is not ordering a 2nd pair of this scent; but I had to save my money for the stupidly utilitarian, like new trainers as my old pair finally gave up the ghost. This is why we should all go bare foot, so we can order more BPAL.

SEMIRAMIS
A legendary Assyrian queen, often identified with Sammu-Ramat, the wife of Shamshi-Adad V, she was believed to be the daughter of the goddess Atargatis. Her youth was filled with mythic adventure, and her otherworldly beauty and voluptuous sexuality ensured her two advantageous marriages. When she took the reins of power of Empress of Assyria, she expanded her kingdom by conquering much of Mesopotamia and Asia. She beautified and revitalized Babylon, and implemented improvements in Nineveh that helped to moderate the flow of the Tigris. She was renowned for her military and political prowess, as well as her ferocious and merciless sexual appetite.

HER PERFUME
Red musk, pomegranate, orange blossom, and melon.

HER BATH
Red musk, pomegranate, red cherry, myrrh, and blood orange.

At least we showed up to play.

Seriously, the US men's team made Italy earn that win. On the other hand, we won the kit competition hands down. Crisp, clean, and white [no rain, alas] versus the enjoyable powder blue jersey and WTF? brown shorts of Team Italia. Long sleeves? Seriously, Azzuri, you were in bloody South Africa. Long sleeves?! and brown shorts. *headdesk*

From SFC: U.S. FALLS TO ITALY IN CONFEDERATIONS CUP OPENER:

The U.S. Men’s National Team dropped its first match of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, falling 3-1 to world champions Italy in Tshwane/Pretoria. The U.S. was reduced to 10 men in the 33rd minute when Ricardo Clark was issued a red card for a tackle on Gennaro Gattuso. Landon Donovan scored the lone goal for the USA, slamming home a penalty kick in the 41st minute after Giorgio Chiellini took down Jozy Altidore in the 18-yard-box. Italy bounced back in the 58th minute, with second-half sub Guiseppe Rossi hammering a shot from distance. Daniele De Rossi added a second goal in the 72nd minute and Andrea Pirlo combined with Rossi for the third and final score in second-half stoppage time. The U.S. will next face Brazil on June 18 in the same venue (ESPN2 / TeleFutura, 9:55 a.m. ET). The United States finishes group play on June 21 against Egypt at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg (ESPN2 / TeleFutura, 2:25 p.m. ET). Fans can also follow all the USA’s matches live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. All Confederations Cup matches televised on ESPN and ESPN2 will be available in high definition. Additionally, ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD will feature three pre-game shows leading up to the USA’s match against Brazil, the game between Italy and Brazil on June 21 and the Confederations Cup final on June 28. All three pre-game shows begin at 2 p.m. ET. The FIFA Confederations Cup is made up of the six champions of each regional confederation, the defending World Cup champions, and the host nation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. qualified for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup by winning their second consecutive CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007.

I think that I have found the secret to good intentions going awry. Do them any way as planned even if your plan is derailed.

This morning was the time I had decided to start waking up 15 minutes earlier so I can start creating a better morning routine. The goal is to eventually get to a point where I can write my morning pages for 30 minutes, exercise for 30 minutes, and begin my form meditations again [though they usually only take 15 minutes or so]. I already get my lunch for work ready the previous night, and with the beasties out of school do not have to worry about them, so I can see these goals as achievable.

Life had other measures in mind. Early this morning, around 2 am, the annunciator went off for no reason. None. It would not turn off, even after I took the cover off. I finally got it to stop after beating on it with a shoe... I'm not the nicest person when rudely awakened from sleep. The random outbursts continued four or five more times over the next 20 minutes, and finally the damned thing shut itself up... or I managed to break it, and right now, as we have 2 others, I really don't care.

So, after helping Meredith get the latest version of Flash installed so she could play on one of her sites at 8 am, I went back to bed and napped until 10. Instead of feeling horrible about that, I just did what I was going to do had I woken up 15 minutes earlier. I wrote in my morning pages as I enjoyed a cup of coffee the beasties brought me. I also began my work again with Celtic shamanism by starting to greet the day with a prayer [I will post those forms later for those who are interested]. Then I showered and decided that I was ready for the day.

Small changes that I'm trying to include: eat breakfast. This is a challenge as I do not like most breakfast foods for breakfast. I have a feeling that I'll be making some hummus and getting in some more fresh fruit. Second small change, including 30 minutes of cleaning/organising in the corners I've been avoiding for months for 30 days. At the least, I'll get in 15 hours of cleaning and a neater work area. My hope is that by the time the next school year and footie season begins, I'll have these habits established enough that I will be flexible enough to adapt around the training schedule... and I'm really hoping that by then I won't need to spend 30 minutes a day cleaning and tidying.

The next steps will be going through all the clothes that no longer fit or that we don't wear. I am reserving the month of July for that.

Especially not on the football pitch, but the Spaniards are roasting the Kiwis...

World's fastest hat trick goes to Torres. 3 goals in 17 minutes. *blinks*

This could be a wildly exciting month.

P.S. I much prefer singing to the odd bee-like buzzing of the plastic horns.

Yes, kids! It's origami with:



Dreamland Toyworks is offering cut, fold, and glue versions of My Little Cthulhu in green, red, and black versions. They even include a wee, screaming victim!

My desk at work is going to be an origami invasion zone soon.

Caldo Gallego
Serves 4 to 6

½ pound slab bacon, diced
1 cup dried white beans, soaked overnight in water to cover
1 large onion, diced
2 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
2 turnips, peeled and diced
½ pound Spanish (not Mexican) chorizo, casings removed and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 pound dark leafy greens such as turnip greens or kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped

Cook the bacon over medium heatv in a heavy pot large enough to contain all the ingredients, until most of the fat is rendered, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the beans, add them to the pot, along with enough water to cover them by two inches. Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam, then lower the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the beans are beginning to soften.

Add the onion, potatoes, and turnips and cook for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Add the chorizo and greens and cook for 10 more minutes, or until the greens are tender. Serve.

FLOUNDER IN BEER BATTER
1½ pounds flounder (or similar) fillets
Lemon juice (bottled OK)
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
½ cup beer
½ cup flour
½ teaspooon baking powder
Oil for frying

1. Cut the fillets into three-by-four-inch pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Combine the egg yolks, beer, flour, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly.
3. Whip the egg whites until stiff.
4. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter until incorporated.
5. Heat the oil until almost smoking (about 375 degrees). Put the fish pieces into the batter and shake off the excess. Fry a few pieces at a time, without crowding. Turn gently with a slotted spoon when they rise to the surface. Drain on paper towels. Serve.

BLOCK ISLAND STRIPED BASS PROVENÇAL
This also works well with bluefish.

1 medium onion, finely chopped
Olive oil
4 large garlic cloves (or more to taste), minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup white wine
Juice of one lemon
1½ pounds striped bass fillets

Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees. Saute onions in oil over medium heat until soft, about five minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add the capers, tomatoes, olives, and wine, and bring to a boil. Add lemon juice, stir, and pour over the fish fillets in a baking dish. Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes. Serve.

TILAPIA WITH MANGO SALSA
Easier than it looks, low-calorie, and only 45 minutes from start to table.

For the Salsa:
1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small red onion, peeled and minced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Zest of 1 lime
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon salt

For the Fish:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ tablespoons orange zest
¼ cup orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
4 to 6-ounce tilapia fillets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl. Stir gently to blend and set aside.
In a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer, combine the olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Rinse the fillets and pat dry. Place them in the baking dish and turn several times to coat. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven until the fish can be flaked with a fork.
Place the fillets on a platter and spoon the salsa over. Serve.

Italian sausage with White Beans and Tomatoes

This takes about an hour in the oven but requires very little prep. It’s also relatively low-cal, at under 500 calories per serving.
Serves 3-4
One pound sweet Italian turkey sausage cut into two-inch pieces
One pint cherry tomatoes.
One medium onion, sliced in half-moons
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1-2 extra-virgin olive oil
One tablespoon balsamic vinegar
One teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crumbled
One bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste
One 16-ounce can of white beans, drained and rinsed

Pre-heat the oven at 425 degrees. Toss all ingredients except the beans together in a roasting pan or casserole. Place in the oven at the lowest rack. Roast until sausages brown, about 30-40 minutes. The tomatoes and onions should have become a thick sauce. Stir in the beans and, if needed, up to a quarter-cup of chicken broth or water. Return to oven and cook until beans are heated through, about 10 minutes.

Kumari Kandam - The hollow scent of a vast antediluvian civilization, now frozen and buried, smothered by a thick sheet of ice and trapped deep beneath the ocean. Thick incense, clay, stone, and hothouse blooms with a spike of frost, a hint of decay, and heavy, dolorous aquatic notes.

Initial sniff from bottle - Gley. Wet, cool earth and brackish air.

Wet on skin - I'm thinking that some of the hothouse blossoms are of the citrus variety as a salty lime scent comes out.

Dry on skin - The sweetness of the incense comes out as it dries down, and it turns into a warm scent. Very tricky, and I am put in mind of a scuba diver who finds the city, and is standing there in the warmth of ancient air dripping salt water onto ageless sandstone.

Staying Power & Throw - good. The scent is strong enough to prevent over applying. It has a good staying power and doesn't require reapplication after a day's wearing.

Overall Opinion - I really enjoy this scent. It puts me in the mood to write for Stella Mari/A Map of Eden befor the storms. It's old without being cloying... it just hits all the right notes in me.


Collection: Wanderlust.