tomorrow: Thanksgiving
saturday: Sena's birthday party
next wednesday: leaving to mexico
i'm really excited!!!
and, i will be taking my laptop, so that i can post from our trip as we go.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
the three achievements of swordmanship (from "Hero")
this has been on my mind lately, so i want to share:
first achievement: sword and man are one;
second achievement: sword is in the heart;
third achievement: there is no sword. (only peace).
i think i love this because i find it applicable to so much more than swordmanship; and because it contains that element of transcendence, and reaching beyond...
first achievement: sword and man are one;
second achievement: sword is in the heart;
third achievement: there is no sword. (only peace).
i think i love this because i find it applicable to so much more than swordmanship; and because it contains that element of transcendence, and reaching beyond...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
mamaia's birthday
last sunday was mamaia's birthday. on saturday, roxi and julia came to my house, and we had a little celebration for her. i arranged some pics of mamaia and us on the table, lit a candle, and we had tea out of the cups she gave us (she had those cups as long as i can remember, she got them as a wedding gift). roxi, julia and i hung out and reminisced about mamaia; we talked about all sorts of other things as well; it was very low key and nice.
i still can't really grasp that she's gone. one very insightful friend told me a while ago that her absence would hit me the hardest at unexpected times. he was right. mostly i don't think of her as being gone, i very much feel that she's still in my life. but once in a while, it hits me that she's gone forever, and with her a huge part of my childhood, and hence a big part of me. that's when it's the hardest. she, my sister and i shared so much together, and now that she's no longer here to remember with us, it's almost as if what we shared is no longer real. it's hard to grasp all these feelings...
i still can't really grasp that she's gone. one very insightful friend told me a while ago that her absence would hit me the hardest at unexpected times. he was right. mostly i don't think of her as being gone, i very much feel that she's still in my life. but once in a while, it hits me that she's gone forever, and with her a huge part of my childhood, and hence a big part of me. that's when it's the hardest. she, my sister and i shared so much together, and now that she's no longer here to remember with us, it's almost as if what we shared is no longer real. it's hard to grasp all these feelings...
Friday, November 21, 2008
some recent pics
i love this tree
and aiyana rolling in the grass
our good friends, brian, anita and clara came over last weekend. the girls LOVE brian, as you can tell...
sena and aiyana put on their leotards and improvised some moves before gymnastics one day. high energy level, as you can tell...
one chilly but sunny day this week, we decided to have a picnic. and what better place than right in front of our house?
so here's sena enjoying some apple chips while overlooking the fields.
and aiyana rolling in the grass
our good friends, brian, anita and clara came over last weekend. the girls LOVE brian, as you can tell...
the cauldron
yesterday, i cooked for 30 people at our monthly MAC meeting at townhall. i was a little nervous about it, but things turned out great. i borrowed a huge pot from Virginia, my landlady, and used it to make butternut-squash soup. my sister came over and when she saw me, she said i looked like a witch over a cauldron. i like that.
the pot was so huge (30 gallons or so), it barely fit on the stove, and i had to use 2 burners at the same time to keep it warm. washing it was also pretty intense, i had to come up with some creative ways of getting it near the sink.
i cooked most of the day; made the squash soup and corn bread. ed, sena and aiyana helped me transport everything to townhall, in time for my meeting at night. i could tell that people liked what i made, and weren't just saying it. they kept coming back for seconds, and their expressions told me they enjoyed it. this made me feel really good.
there's something about food, and feeding people, that i'm really drawn to. it seems really personal. yesterday, as i cooked throughout the day, i could not stop thinking about that book, 'like water for chocolate', and how the woman in it could make people feel all these things through the food she cooked. i don't think that's too far out, i really think that if you put a certain type of energy and love into the food you cook, it will come across to those who eat it.
in any case, i have to say that although i worked hard, i really enjoyed my little project yesterday. while cooking, i put on some bob dylan and bruce springsteen albums, which i hadn't listened to in a while, and that created a nice atmosphere. and then it felt really good when everything came together in the end, when i saw people enjoying my food so much.
peace
the pot was so huge (30 gallons or so), it barely fit on the stove, and i had to use 2 burners at the same time to keep it warm. washing it was also pretty intense, i had to come up with some creative ways of getting it near the sink.
i cooked most of the day; made the squash soup and corn bread. ed, sena and aiyana helped me transport everything to townhall, in time for my meeting at night. i could tell that people liked what i made, and weren't just saying it. they kept coming back for seconds, and their expressions told me they enjoyed it. this made me feel really good.
there's something about food, and feeding people, that i'm really drawn to. it seems really personal. yesterday, as i cooked throughout the day, i could not stop thinking about that book, 'like water for chocolate', and how the woman in it could make people feel all these things through the food she cooked. i don't think that's too far out, i really think that if you put a certain type of energy and love into the food you cook, it will come across to those who eat it.
in any case, i have to say that although i worked hard, i really enjoyed my little project yesterday. while cooking, i put on some bob dylan and bruce springsteen albums, which i hadn't listened to in a while, and that created a nice atmosphere. and then it felt really good when everything came together in the end, when i saw people enjoying my food so much.
peace
Friday, November 14, 2008
the good news
our mexico trip is coming up fast. december 4th is the date. i'm excited. we all are. i don't have much of an idea what to expect, and that's kind of nice. i'm picturing small villages, beautiful mountain scenery, outdoor markets, fresh fruits and vegetables...
i'm hoping to hang out with locals, maybe learn some cooking from them. apparently they're big into weaving down there, and maybe i'll learn a little too, that would be nice.
that's what i'm thinking right now, and how will that compare with what's really there? always interesting to see...
so much stuff going on between now and our departure:
there's sena's birthday, thanksgiving, then the monthly MAC meeting i attend, and for this one, i volunteered to cook for everyone, that's 20+ people, and a bunch of other little things. i'm a little nervous about all of it, but it will be fun.
i'm hoping to hang out with locals, maybe learn some cooking from them. apparently they're big into weaving down there, and maybe i'll learn a little too, that would be nice.
that's what i'm thinking right now, and how will that compare with what's really there? always interesting to see...
so much stuff going on between now and our departure:
there's sena's birthday, thanksgiving, then the monthly MAC meeting i attend, and for this one, i volunteered to cook for everyone, that's 20+ people, and a bunch of other little things. i'm a little nervous about all of it, but it will be fun.
the 'H' word
i use the 'H' word with much caution, but here it is: i Hate shopping. i really do. it makes me physically sick. unless it's an outdoor market or bazaar or something of that nature, it makes me feel so bad...
i don't know what happened. i used to love it years ago. but my body must've built some kind of intolerance, bc as soon as i go in a large store, i get a headache and just an awful nauseous kind of feeling all over. i can handle shopping at the co-op because it's small, but even there, not longer than half hour or so. i can't handle malls at all, so i never go. online shpopping is better, as long as i know exactly what i want (usually it's books), and am able to find it right away. if i don't know, and i need to browse, that's a problem, i get a headache and nausea.
i'm complaining about this now, but i am actually grateful for my situation, because it frees us my time and energy, and not to metion that it keeps the expenses low. the extent of my shopping these days is food, once a week, and that's it. today i had to shop online though, and had to deal with the bad feelings. sena's bday is coming up, and my mom promissed her a kid camera, so she can take real pictures. i told my mom that i'd get the camera online, but i didn't realize just how much stuff there is out there, and how difficult it would be to find something that's of acceptable quality, but still within our budget. i failed to find anything, and decided to check consummer reports before buying. sena's really excited about this, and i know that she'll have fun taking pics, but i have to say that i'm not having any fun at all shopping for it....
there it is, i needed to get it out....
i don't know what happened. i used to love it years ago. but my body must've built some kind of intolerance, bc as soon as i go in a large store, i get a headache and just an awful nauseous kind of feeling all over. i can handle shopping at the co-op because it's small, but even there, not longer than half hour or so. i can't handle malls at all, so i never go. online shpopping is better, as long as i know exactly what i want (usually it's books), and am able to find it right away. if i don't know, and i need to browse, that's a problem, i get a headache and nausea.
i'm complaining about this now, but i am actually grateful for my situation, because it frees us my time and energy, and not to metion that it keeps the expenses low. the extent of my shopping these days is food, once a week, and that's it. today i had to shop online though, and had to deal with the bad feelings. sena's bday is coming up, and my mom promissed her a kid camera, so she can take real pictures. i told my mom that i'd get the camera online, but i didn't realize just how much stuff there is out there, and how difficult it would be to find something that's of acceptable quality, but still within our budget. i failed to find anything, and decided to check consummer reports before buying. sena's really excited about this, and i know that she'll have fun taking pics, but i have to say that i'm not having any fun at all shopping for it....
there it is, i needed to get it out....
Monday, November 10, 2008
Tommie dePaola
yesterday, the girls and i went to the UConn children's book fair. Sena met Tommie dePaola, and got his autograph. i was so excited about him being there - we love him, especially his Strega Nona books. i felt as if i were meeting a rock star or something, the way i was reacting, i was a little embarassed....
sena was really excited about meeting him too, and she brought one of her own books, one that she wrote and illustrated herself; she showed it to him and he was very kind, looked through it all and seemed to really enjoy it.
sena was really excited about meeting him too, and she brought one of her own books, one that she wrote and illustrated herself; she showed it to him and he was very kind, looked through it all and seemed to really enjoy it.
i. agarbiceanu
i am reading a gem of a book. i am so in love with it, and it resonates so deeply with how i feel. it's a romanian book, by I. Agarbiceanu, called "file din cartea naturii", which would translate something like "excerpts from nature's book". it's just a collection of short stories about village life in romania. i can't time it exactly, but the book was first published in 1971, so the stories must be set before that, maybe the 50's or 60's? (before TV, that's for sure).
the stories are jut simple descriptions of everyday life; there's nothing extraordinarily exciting, no climax, no major conflict. none of the elements that are usually considered necessary to make a story. everything is suddle, understated and extremely beautiful. how do you write with such simplicity and come up with something so rich?
my favorite things about this book are the vivid descriptions of nature, as well as the descritions of everyday village life - little kids taking the animals out to pasture; grandmothers cooking; men and women working in the fields; it's all so realistic, i know it is because i have experienced some of it (very little of it) a long time ago, and reading this brings it all back. what's more, i feel that it's intesifying the current experiences i'm having out in nature; one story for example, was just about the wind. a little boy, out grazing his sheep, is noticing how many different types of wind there are, how they bring different weather and occur in different times of the year or even of the day; he's marvelling and wondering about all that is wind, and in reading about him, i could not help but feel full of wonder too; i became more sensitive to my own surroundings. i wonder if this book has been translated in any languages; i hope so... it's so beautiful!
the stories are jut simple descriptions of everyday life; there's nothing extraordinarily exciting, no climax, no major conflict. none of the elements that are usually considered necessary to make a story. everything is suddle, understated and extremely beautiful. how do you write with such simplicity and come up with something so rich?
my favorite things about this book are the vivid descriptions of nature, as well as the descritions of everyday village life - little kids taking the animals out to pasture; grandmothers cooking; men and women working in the fields; it's all so realistic, i know it is because i have experienced some of it (very little of it) a long time ago, and reading this brings it all back. what's more, i feel that it's intesifying the current experiences i'm having out in nature; one story for example, was just about the wind. a little boy, out grazing his sheep, is noticing how many different types of wind there are, how they bring different weather and occur in different times of the year or even of the day; he's marvelling and wondering about all that is wind, and in reading about him, i could not help but feel full of wonder too; i became more sensitive to my own surroundings. i wonder if this book has been translated in any languages; i hope so... it's so beautiful!
Thursday, November 06, 2008
he won!
yesterday morning, i woke up and went to get some water, and saw a note ed had left near the sink. it said "he won! he won! tell sena". i did not expect this, but i started to cry, and when i turned the radio on to find out if obama really won, i cried even more. later during the day, after speaking to people, i found that lots of them were unexpectedly, and joyfully, emotional over this event.
Halloween
i'm not crazy about the pictures i took at halloween this year, but my mom wanted to see the kids' costumes anyway, so here they are:
sena was 'a good witch'. she emphasized good, because we've been talking about how witches are typically portrayed as bad in kids' books (with few exceptions, like 'strega nona' for example), and we talked about how that's really an untrue and unfair image.
sena was 'a good witch'. she emphasized good, because we've been talking about how witches are typically portrayed as bad in kids' books (with few exceptions, like 'strega nona' for example), and we talked about how that's really an untrue and unfair image.
and aiyana was a horse, because she's obsessed with horses...
halloween was a bit of a letdown this year. our library did not hold a party, so we went to willington library instead (next town over), and their party was a little lame. i guess this was their first time doing it, so they had no experience and were not expecting the number of kids that showed up. sena and aiyana still had fun though (i guess it doesn't take much), and that's what counts.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
what a day
ed took the day off today bc. he worked a lot of extra time on the weekend. he and sena went to boston this morning, to the science museum. both were really excited about their day, their train ride there, the museum itself, and just being together.
aiyana and i had quite a bit of fun too: we left the house at 10 this morning, and didn't return until almost 4. the weather's been amazing, so we walked to the cafe to meet some friends; then to the indian restaurant for lunch; then to the benton museum to check out their Tibetan theme exhibit. we even got to see the monks working on their sand mandala, which was very exciting. finally, we came home, fed the chickens, hung the laundry, returned some phone calls and finally we came to the library. it's been really fun being with aiyana all day, and i can't wait to hear what sena says about their adventure. life is good...
aiyana and i had quite a bit of fun too: we left the house at 10 this morning, and didn't return until almost 4. the weather's been amazing, so we walked to the cafe to meet some friends; then to the indian restaurant for lunch; then to the benton museum to check out their Tibetan theme exhibit. we even got to see the monks working on their sand mandala, which was very exciting. finally, we came home, fed the chickens, hung the laundry, returned some phone calls and finally we came to the library. it's been really fun being with aiyana all day, and i can't wait to hear what sena says about their adventure. life is good...
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