September 2005 Archives

I was out sailing yesterday courtesy of D_____ at work. The weather was quite blustery and gusty, which made for fun sailing.

I had a first yesterday. I was up by the mast trying to loosen a line and the boat heeled over quite suddenly. I slipped and ended up with my feet in the water, being dragged, with my arms hugging the mast while I regained my footing. It was quite a surprise to all concerned. I'm klutzy sometimes, but I've always managed to stay in the boat before.

The rest of the trip was fabulous. We had strong winds and the new sailors caught on quickly and seemed to have a had a great time.

Hope the weather holds and I can do it again this year; the sailing part -- not the holding on to the mast for dear life part.

monkey-button

To incorrectly button or zip a shirt or sweater. Generally creates a kind of strange lopsidedness where the collar of a shirt doesn't line up properly.

Usage: "It looks like you monkey-buttoned your shirt."

I had never heard this phrase before this week when co-worker wore a stylish sweater which looked as if it might have been monkey-buttoned, but wasn't. I used to have to have monkey-buttoning problems a lot as a child. I've mostly grown out of monkey-buttoning, but it still happens sometimes.

I checked out the 112 Eatery with a co-worker and our respective spouses. It is a tiny restaurant in the warehouse district that has been getting a lot of buzz lately.

I had the Bibb Salad and the Egg Sandwich. Our table also had a collection of sides which included the cauliflower fritters & creamed corn. The creamed corn bore zero resemblance to the gelatinous goo that comes from the can. It was light and sweet, with a buttery flavor that wouldn't quit. Although the sauce was very buttery it somehow managed to feel relatively light at the same time which seems to break some fundamental rule of physics. I didn't have time to ponder whether any physical laws of the universe were broken; I just wanted to eat more corn. The salad was both artfully plated and delicious. The dressing was really light but very tasty. The egg sandwich was amazing. Jeannie also had the egg sandwich and wasn't so impressed, so your mileage may vary. It had an interesting peppery sauce which added just the right piquant while not overwhelming the eggs. It's funny, in the end I wasn't crazy about the expensive entrees, but the low priced items and sides were home runs in my book.

Dessert at our table was the tres leches cake and the "chocolate pot de creme". They were both good. The pot o' chocolate did seem a little like eating fudge right out of the Mrs. Richardson's bottle but what is not to like about that? The desserts were very large and two people can easily split one dessert. I took 2/3 of the chocolate pot home and have snacked on it for days.

The menu had a number of small plates which could make going to eat at this great restaurant really inexpensive. I'm not in a huge hurry to go back, but you can bet that I will be back when my hankering for some creamed corn reaches a certain point. The servers tip to us was that tables which can require two weeks advance reservation can be had easily by walking in before 5:00 and after 9:00.

Bob Denver, died September 2nd, 2005. You can read his obit on the aptly named, "Blog of Death".

I watched way too many hours of Gilligan's Island re-runs growing up to not take notice of Bob Denver's passing. The show is probably more like life in modern corporate America than I would have ever guessed as a child.

In case you were wondering, I had the hots for Ginger initially, but grew fond of Mary Ann later in life.

I have some friends who host a drop in event every year where you are invited to bring a dish made with potatoes. Usually I am at the cabin and unable to attend, but the stars aligned this year and the kids and I were able to make an appearance. I made potato bread from scratch. It was easy to make and tasted great. I love making bread from scratch. I need to buy some proper loaf pans so my bread looks a little better.

Just a reminder. I'm looking forward to seeing you on Sunday if you blog and attend my church. (If you don't blog, but read or comment, you can say hi too.)

My favorite peanut butter making hippies made National Geographic recently (link potentially NWS depending on your work).

I heard about the EastWind community on MPR a few years back and made a connection to the peanut butter brand that I happen to buy. The National Geographic article in print even showed the "commie cloz" (shared clothing which includes underwear) in one of the photos. Unfortunately, that photo isn't available on the web.

I really hope they are wearing clothes when they make the peanut butter.

Intentional communities fascinate me. I've always wondered what it would be like living in a place like that.

Julie's post entitled "fragile" really resonates with me. While the tragedies of my spring and summer have been mostly at arms length, the suffering of those I know has been unrelenting. When I can no longer count the tragedies on both hands, it feels overwhelming. Sometimes the hurricane is on the gulf coast, sometimes it's in a hospital ward of a loved one. In either case my well wishing and prayers always seems far too powerless. (The rest of this is a bit long and rambly, you might just want to skip it.)

Check out this article on Banana Extinction.

I thought bananas taste different now than the ones I remember from my childhood. All this time, I thought that this difference was due to the foggy nostalgia. Now I have a better explanation.

This is exactly why I like diversity in my lawn. If creeping charlie and dandelions go extinct in other parts of the world, I'll have a ready bio-reserve.

Since Jan asked so nicely ...

Getting to Know Me

Things I plan to do before I die:

1. Hike a really long trail.
2. Found a real company with employees and everything.
3. Visit most or all the continents.
4. Take one really great landscape, still life or abstract photo.
5. Write a book.
6. Get another race car and finish a race well.
7. See my children doing well in life.

Things I can do:

1. Learn new things.
2. Fix & break stuff.
3. Swing Dance.
4. Speak in public.
5. Blog.
6. Cook.

Things I cannot do:

1. Sing on key or harmonize.
2. Care about Michael Jackson and a variety of other celebrities.
3. Clap in time to music without peeking at other people to make sure I am staying on the beat.
4. Knit.
5. Play a musical instrument.

Things that attract me to my wife:

1. She laughs at my jokes and wry side comments.
2. She is wicked smart.
3. She is a dedicated and caring mom.
4. She really values fun.
5. Her obvious physical charms.
6. Location, location, location.

Celebrity crushes:

1. Kirsten Dunst (I still don't understand what she see in Spiderman.)
2. Natalie Portman, but only in Garden State
3. Julia Roberts
4. Sarah McLachlan
5. Sandra Bullock, Susan Sarandon, Bonnie Raitt, Patricia Clarkson, Elisabeth Moss, Katie Holmes (but only in "Pieces of April")

I love a good love story. Check out "How We Got Engaged", by Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier. Being in love does makes everything in life seem "extra good".

A while back my co-workers stumbled upon the web site, "Steve, Don't Eat It!", where a guy eat strange foods and then writes about them (it's pure genius, btw). The first entry was about potted meat, something I had never heard of before reading his review.

Good news, I found some potted meat at the dollar store! Three cans for a dollar. I can't wait to try it. I've never knowingly eaten mechanically seperated chicken before. Other highlights from the ingredients list included "partially defatted cooked pork fatty tissue" & "partially defatted cooked beef fatty tissue". I take both of these to mean "stuff that isn't fit for hot dogs." I wonder what the ingredient list looked like before the marketing department cleaned it up?

I did the Cannon Valley Trail yesterday with some co-workers. We had a great ride with very comfortable weather. I really enjoyed being able to ride with people who could challenge my biking skills without leaving me completely in the dust. I kept up with the leader from Red Wing to Cannon Falls. On the way back to Red Wing I fell behind the leader, but not enough to bruise my ego significantly. At least I had the excuse that I was on a fat tired comfort bike, instead of a skinny tired touring bike. (A poor workman blames his tools, I know, I know.)

There were some stretches of trail that had enough of a grade to keep the ride a little more interesting than the Lanesboro trail.

The winery in Cannon Falls was an interesting place to visit. We got to see the grapes being dumped into hoppers, whisked up by some sort of vacuum device, arriving in a big hopper where they were presumably crushed.

One year ago, if you would have told me that I could ride 40 miles without any problems I probably wouldn't have believed you. Now I think I could probably do a 100 mile day if I planned it right.

I'm hoping to do one more big bike ride before the weather turns. The Grand Rounds looks like it might be a good candidate.

The leaves that kept falling on the trail underscored the inescapable fact; fall is here and winter is around the corner. I can't live in denial any more.

Aras wrote a nice post on climbing, kayaking and life. Nice work, glad to see you posting again.

Danger doesn't motivate me as much as it does Aras when it comes to outdoor activities. It's not that there aren't dangers; after all I go solo backpacking which isn't exactly what your life insurance agent recommends. My outdoor activities are more motivated by feeling alive and discovering beauty. It does seem like I've gradually upped the risk level over the years, but that was more of a side effect I think. (Now Aras might disagree with this assessment since he has been in the woods with me more than a few times.)

Recently, I got an email from a blogger I don't know.

Thanks, I'm honored.

When do I feel the most alive? It's when I'm out sailing or hiking. I went for the annual sailing trip last weekend. We had good wind and a fast boat.

A few months ago I found out that a number of people who attend my church, Church of the Open Door, also have blogs. I know more a few of you read this blog since you have left comments or mentioned it to me in email. I thought it might be fun to meet you all in real life and be able to place a face with a name, so I am inviting you to a casual meetup at church on September 25th between services. So far, Jan and Pearl are planning to be there. I don't know everyone who blogs, so feel free to invite your friends in email or mention it on your own blogs, like Jan did.

If the weather is nice let's meet at the picnic table outside the east? side towards the pond. If the weather is inclement we'll meet inside near the coffee.

Some books are so haunting that after I've read them I think of life before I read the book or life after I read the book.

While sailing this last weekend I finished "Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. It was one of those books for me.

"For you a thousand times over ..."

Matthew had his first day of kindergarten today. All went well. When asked about his day, he recounted a song about peanut butter and jelly. He deemed the song silly.

Tommorrow is picture day.

Right on schedule, while playing quietly where I couldn't see them, Matthew and Elise found a pair of scissors. Then they proceeded to cut huge hanks out of their hair. I gave Matthew an emergency buzz tonight. He looks like he just got out of boot camp. Elise didn't fare so well. I had no idea how to fix her hairdo. She'll need professional assistance getting her stairstep bangs into shape.

I found the entire episode quite funny, but tried to act stern.

Hopefully I'll be gone sailing for a few days.

Jan posted a link to a music video from a band called Switchfoot recently. The hook from the chorus is, "When I look at the stars I feel like myself".

That hook perfectly describes what I feel when I sleep out under the stars after a day of sailing. Looking up at the sky the noise from everything fades, the stars come into focus and I don't want to close my eyes -- it's too beautiful. I feel the chill in my nose and get a little deeper into my sleeping bag. I see satellites, shooting stars, ore boats on the horizon and sometimes the northern lights. The rocking of the boat eventually coaxes me to sleep. Life is beautiful.

I can't wait.

It must be mandatory that every blogger weighs on Katrina, here goes ...

Life is Suffering

I've been thinking about this simple phrase for months. Everywhere around me I see suffering; seeing it at the scale of Katrina is rending. I can't begin to wrap my head around the loss and tragedy.

People Are Worse Than I Think

Its amazing to me how quickly people people beat a path to their soapbox explaining how their way of looking at the world would have made things better -- more government, more bush, less bush, less government, more jesus, less jesus, more green, more action, less talk, more compassion, more troops, more guns, less guns, less carbon dioxide, more justice. I have no patience for anyone who wants to extract political profit from human tragedy. In addition to the oppourtunistic self serving hordes, there appears to be an unlimited supply of morons.

People Are Better Than I Think

I love the hero stories of the rescue workers and the people pouring themself out for people they never knew. Anyone who puts themselves in harm's way for another has my respect and gratitude.

A Closing Thought

I've read some eloquent thoughts in the last few days. I'll share one of my personal favorites.

Parting by Emily Dickinson.

My life closed twice before its close;
It yet remains to see
If immortality unveil
A third event to me

So huge, so hopeless to conceive
As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell.

For the last few weeks I've been working my way through "The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson." I had read bits and pieces of her work before but had never tried to work through the entire canon. The more I read, the more amazed I am at both her ability to capture emotions and how thoroughly modern her writing is. (No, I don't care if you can sing them all to the yellow rose of Texas.)

[Poem Courtesy of the Writers Almanac]

Looks like Paul and Amy had a baby. Congratulations to the happy couple and the new big brother!

There was so much press concerning Hunter S. Thompson's suicide and subsequent cannon-ization, I thought I would read one of his books. I picked "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas".

I recall having read another Hunter S. Thompson book in the distant past and being completely unimpressed. My theory is that I was too young or too uptight when I read it.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's very hard for me to imagine people actually ingesting this amount of drugs and living. For some reason reading the crazy stream of weirdness writing really worked for me. BTW, I have no desire to try and replicate the experience myself although I admit it does sound like it might be fun to trash a rental car.

It's one of those curious books that has one fulcrum paragraph that jumps out at you as being the most important thing the book has to say.

Acid use aside, we all try to buy "peace and understanding" and most of us find out that what we bought isn't what we expected it to be. You can replace the word "acid" with religion, consumerism, sex, power or any other experience people seek intending to buy their happiness and peace for three buck a hit.

I liked the book a lot, your results may vary.

The book is illustrated by Ralph Steadman whose works grace my favorite cafe, Hell's Kitchen.

Marilyn Monroe unplugged.

Note to self: burn tapes made for the therapist.

Happy Belated BlogDay!

BlogDay is a day when people post about five other blogs which are different from their own in some ways.

So while I'm a day late, here is my list.

dylan's lectionary & grace notes. This blog written by Sarah Dylan Breuer, an anglican postulant, has beautiful meditations on scripture as well as personal insights into Sarah's passion for justice, the eradication of poverty, and U2.

Velveteen Rabbi. She's not actually a rabbi, but is a lay leader in her congregation. She offers beautifully written commentary on varied aspects of Judiasm.

Kevin Sites. Kevin offers up a new kind of journalism in his blog. When he talks about Iraq, it's not from a press briefing room perspective, it's from the perspective of someone on the ground who has lived the conflict. I wish there was more journalism like this.

Seraphic Secret. This blog is written by a jewish hollywood screenwriter who also happens to also be a conservative and a gun ethusiast. Robert and occasionally his wife write hauntingly about the loss of their son Ariel. The way he has written about his loss has changed the way I look at the world. His courtship stories have amused me to no end since they take place in a world so far removed from my own.

The Religious Policeman. This blog is a biting look at life in Saudi Arabia. The writer now lives in the U.K. and has returned to posting after a long quiet period.

Enjoy.