spicy nuts, fighting the unibrow, music and the abyss

the house smells of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.....  it's time for spiced pecans. 

my eyebrows have been professionally tamed (at last).

went to the mercury cafe tonight to hear my multi-talented renaissance man neighbor play a cello and piano gig of his own composition (variations on his chosen theme).   vegan chocolate cake and fair trade organic coffee rounded out the experience.

it's difficult to repair broken things, the crack is always noticeable and weak. it remains vulnerable and in need of reassurance.  abandonment/apathy, not hate, is the opposite of love.

just say NO to texas politics

easier said than done.  michael said it was miserable living in texas as an open minded person during the election.  now it's not much better.  the fatalistic christians are predicting the end of days scenario starring obana.  sick.  i am so relieved to experience something different.   i assured michael that the rest of the country is NOT like that.  he can only imagine.  stuck in texas, what a life.  

the fireplace has been templated, at last.  the rugs are ordered.  baby steps, but forward motion none the less.   

it's already wednesday..... another day closer to seeing my girls! can't wait to give/get a big squeeze from them and look into their beautiful faces.

tango tuesday

the ocho combination is challenging and oh so fun! i stayed with my dance partner for the lessons and practica.  it was a fun tango night.

 it was a record breaking 78 degrees in denver today.

  the park was alive with people (every dog and their owner).  there were two blind women making their way toward me in the bike lane.  they were just keeping their own pace with their sticks out in front of them.  no one had yet said anything to them, i realized, when i got their attention and said "ladies, you are walking in the bike lane, you might want to switch to the other side.  bikers have been going around you."  one of them responded: "oh, is that a problem?"  i offered that it might be safer for everyone if they switched.  they did. i found it incredible that no one had stopped them sooner.  

snail's pace progress

the fireplace is prepared.  augustin is returning to template on wednesday.  we will also find out if macy's can find the rugs we selected somewhere in america.  

fly away crows feet

botox rox!

a most wonderful movie

saturday movie night: "the secret life of bees"  see it!  

discovering something called "macy's pre-sale"  an event with OMG discounts.  ask about it. not every department (or store) will tell you if they have it.  

what's your YOU-Q?

www.abcnews.com        take the you-Q quiz     a holistic reality check

tips for avoiding invisibility

please read mary winter's 11.08.08 rocky mountain news column with this same title.  she expounds upon the following tips:  avoid apologies, be brief, be direct, avoid emotional displays.  we need to know the rules when communicating with men.  we can understand the how and why of adapting a communication/language as needed.   they can't and won't.  so just do it.

not a whole lot shocks me anymore.  but i am still undone by audacity. especially when it is cloaked in sweet christian innocence.  i spent the whole election process  enduring obama-slamming emails from my old neighbor.  i often wanted to respond in kind (from my side), but took the high road of silence.  most of her emails i did not open.  some i did because the title clued me in to it being the height of ridiculous.   today, i got my first post election one from her (i knew it was just a matter of time).  basically, it was "morality lesson" starring the "smarter" republican party.  kids, a classroom election, one student standing for truth, justice and the "american" way, the other just offered ice cream.  of course the students voted for ice cream.  moral:  some people in this country acted like selfish, juveniles and just voted ice cream!   there was so much disturbing in the insidious language of the details. it was racist, separatist, anti-christian, anti-american, dictatorial, etc.  she did not realize that she was holding up a mirror to herself.  i find this scary and stinking of supremacist odor.    i can no longer excuse this and must eliminate this stupidity and bullyism from my mailbox.  i knew what i had to do...  relegate her to "spam" status!  why didn't i think of this a long, long time ago.  

argentine tango rules of engagement 2

     looking over a stranger's shoulder and dancing backward in heels---- it's argentine tango night                                                                                                                                                                         at tonight's lesson, we learned la cruzada (the cross) the goal being to walk to the cross well. the cross is tricky, because like all moves and positions it is dictated by the man and all balance and weight change on the feet depends upon his cue.  the cross is when you cross your left ankle over your right and gracefully change the weight to your left crossed foot in preparation for whatever he decides to do next.  a learned partner will give you time to do this, a beginner... maybe not. 

  

after the lesson, we stayed for the practica. this is where you can practice on your own (beginner + beginner)on one side of the dance floor, or go solo on the other side of the dance floor with a more learned partner.  if asked to dance, and you agree, you are committed to a tanda (a set of 3 or 4 songs of similar musical style, followed by a cortina (curtain) very different sounding musical style that signals that you are off the hook with this partner (if you want to be).   alex and jorge had their own styles. both were patient.  jorge's involved very little personal space. 

note.  in a practica when asked to dance, if you are new to the tango it is correct etiquette to say "i am a beginner" NOT "sure i'll dance with you but i have no idea what the hell i'm doing."  alex tutored me in this.   when it came to jorge, i knew what to say upon accepting his hand.  when i said i was sorry the FIRST time i stepped on him, he said "don't worry, in tango if their are any mistakes, it is always the man's fault."   i gladly told him that i could live with that.

argentine tango rules of engagement

meatballs without borders

MWB is a global italian heritage program bringing creative cuisine to the world.  this program was originated by my mother, carmela, who made meatballs every sunday and fed them to whomever came within sniffing distance to her kitchen and beyond.   she even sent them to my brother once at boot camp, she brought them to me when she visited to the west coast, she sent them in sandwiches on car trips, they were brought on picnics by request.   it is not about the meatballs literally, it is about creative cooking with love and outreach to the bland palates and lives of our global community. 

my neighbor has never refused my offerings of baked apples, scones, chili, etc.  she unknowingly is a recipient of MWB.  the tradition lives on.....    have you meatballed anyone lately?

knowing when and where good is

my tongue was at my teeth, my palate was high and i was thinking "o", i was in the mask and had the "tube" idea going, i was supported low and round, i took gently full breaths,  my jaw was unhinged and relaxed, my neck was supple and fat, i waited for the sound to come to me.  

most of the time this worked. sometimes i heard my speech habits creep in.  i did not get hung up in my passaggio.  but, of course, the overachieving controller that takes over got involved.  this was the first time i sang high sustained notes (including the high c).  it started out fine, but i pushed it to distortion at times. this is uncharted territory and i did make a different choice--- that of going for it instead of staying safe.   okay, so now i regroup. i've got this experience under my belt and from here i learn what i need to do/not do/ do too much/too little.   

diva doings

debating the articulation of french vs. italian vowels during a rehearsal can be treacherous territory,  but the most excellent voice teacher was making a point that i did not get at the time.  it is tricky to have to sing in two languages and remember the difference.  my problem wasn't the foreign tongue.  it was the american english language habits that the brain goes to when thinking a sound.  so to circumvent this, i must confuse it a bit by going for something different. good luck to me on this tomorrow.

it is also challenging to try to ignor the part of your brain that is complaining about getting used to a new accompanist after being spoiled by a previous one that knew your nuances like a mother and a newborn. 

properly prepare the surface

i have sketched my design, selected my materials, got code safety approved changes for the gas line of the firebox. i was good to go until jorge arrived.   i thought of everything, except that my surface is not properly prepared.  i need to float the uneven base and insert metal bolts into the concrete/brick to support the weight of a granite mantle.     ohhhhhh, okayyyyyy!  now i'm left to find just the right person to legally, safely, aesthetically do this.  yet another setback.  it is now setbacks permeated with moments of progress.  do i hear an ohm?

to further illustrate the direction of the day: please crank your neck sideways to see "before" photo of deconstructed pre-properly prepared surface of fireplace area.

random acts of ignorance

when encountering random acts of ignorance ---as in bold statements from others about what they "know" to be right and true dirt and negativity about how "it" should be and who is the right "one", the right "way" blah, blah, ohshutup---- duck and cover (your heart). be grateful that you have the wisdom to seek and live truth in your own peaceful place.  we know that intelligence is more in the questions than the answers.  est il pas? 

obama rama

this is an historical election.  i voted for hope. 

some states are voting on an expanded definition of marriage.  this is for state property and family  privilege.  this is also for public proclamation of commitment.  we all know it is impossible to try to reconcile the procreation part.  just like we can't legislate love.  but it is with love and caring that such legitimatizing is sought.

 i'm voting for the values of my family.  so family, i hope you are hearing this.  i do believe in marriage as a joining of two people with equal rights within a commitment under god and this country.  yes, even gay people want this---- to do right by each other as human beings under law and under god.  it is the right, respectful and honorable thing to do.  it bespeaks love and protection and responsibility and value and belief in each other.   this is for each to decide their beliefs and values about commitment, not the state or those who think they should play god. 

if you can figure out what i'm talking about, good for you.

  

NABLOG MO

Yes, it has come to the attention of yomama that it is national blog month and she is already two days behind.  so let's catch up, shall we?

on friday night (oct 31) yomama sported a "spider witch" costume and went out on a date with dracula.  we double dated with the gypsy and surfer dude/hippie next door.  said sd/hipster carried around his mini acordian all night... just in case there might be an opportunity to make music in our evening's journey.  before we went out for the evening he played a free concert on his front porch to emphasize the fact that there was free candy and entertainment.  such is the notoriety of s. clark st.   

thanks to a timely phone call to good neighor, L, who was at the grocery buying candy at the time of the call, i got free home delivery of a bag- o -kit/kats for the goblins and cute little ones.  (tip: buy halloween candy that you DON'T like, therefore you would have to be in complete desperation for a goodie to be tempted to eat any). our house looked appropriately spooky with no inside lights,  no curtains, no furniture, a ladder in the window.  the construction project that never ends drags on.

it was a sad yomama moment when she remembered that last year at this time she was walking away from her beloved home, family, friends and life in fort worth.  it was halloween when she shut the door to an empty house and drove away.  now yomama doesn't feel like writing any more and needs to go do something else.  no, i don't mean that i am going to tear the place up until i find a left over kit/kat.  there is coffee to drink, laundry to be done, music to be studied and art projects that need creativity poured upon them.

i'm sending out the yomama yummy goodness/happiness vibes to the loves of my life... you know who you are.