Are you awake today?

Thank you David Kanigan. I love this quote you posted from Anais Nin. I needed it today!

“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book… or you take a trip… and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom (when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death. Some never awaken.”
― Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 1: 1931-1934

So this is my song today. I have not been able to get this song out of my head. It is called: “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye. Do you ever get that way? For days, and sometimes weeks you cannot get a song out of your head? It is the chorus that gets me jumping around. One night last week I was dancing around our office (yes you should have seen me, you would have laughed for a while). I am using it to awaken me today.

sleeping in Seattle

STOP HIBERNATING. As Ellen would tell us, get up and dance!

Granny Smith

Posted by random olio

My mom’s mom, she was Grandma Smith to us growing up. Later during and after college, I started calling her Granny Smith. She had her own language which maybe was a bit of her and a bit of the time she came of age. While reading “Stuffed” last week Patricia Volk, the author, mentions a list of things said by her Aunt Ruthie. A few she lists are ones my grandma would say: “Honest to God.’ “As I live and breathe.” “She’s not my cup of tea.” (Her list is on page 133). I add a few more to the list: “If she only knew.” “Fibber McGee and Molly.” “Six of one, half dozen of the other.”

Patricia also mentions what she calls a ‘zinger’ of things that her Aunt Ruthie would say that would sting. I can remember some of those myself. My grandma would buy multiple doughnuts and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, pop-tarts, make cookies, etc. We rarely had these at my house, and so they were such treats to us when we were at her house. After she filled us up, she would tell me that I was getting heavier and I could probably lose a few pounds. Thanks, Grandma! A perfect example is when she saw a picture from my wedding day where my new husband is holding me in his arms and she says to my husband: “Wow, that is a big load you’ve got there.” Nice one, grandma. I have a huge smile on my face as I write this, because while her words might have bothered some, but they just made me laugh. Granny Smith was a sassy one, and as she got older, I continued to be shocked at some of the things that came out of her mouth. It also means I laughed even more.

Granny Smith and me in 2002

Maybe someone should write a book: “Grandma’s say the darndest things.”

Have you been watching Homeland?

Posted by random olio

Okay, so I am a serial multi-tasker. Sometimes at night or on the weekends, when we are catching up on our DVR shows, if it something that does not grab my attention 100%, I might catch up on emails while watching a show, or write, read, play scrabble on my iPhone, you name it. I have now found a show where I am not a serial multi-tasker. It is Homeland, and it is my new favorite show. (I know the season is over, we are a bit behind on our DVR).

Usually I am not into this type of show, but after giving in and agreeing to watch it with my husband I am totally hooked. It feels like watching a movie in 50 minutes. Except that at the end of the episode you want more and luckily get it with the next episode. I find myself reviewing during the day what happened in the last episode, going over scenarios in my mind of what will happen next. We are just a few episodes into the season, and I cannot figure out how they are going to spread this out over multiple seasons. Claire Danes and Damian Lewis both do an amazing job. The story line is current, the dialogue and suspense keeps you sucked into each episode.

Watch Homeland, you will not be sorry.

Post a comment and let me know what you think – I am curious what other Homeland addicts think of the show!

Why didn’t you just leave?

Posted by random olio

This is my second blog post about “Girls Like Us.” For part one, click here. I’ve now finished this eye opening book. I know the question that many people ask and think about in relation to someone who has experienced sexual exploitation is: “Why didn’t you just leave?”

What an important question! The answer – how can they when they often have no where to go, are beaten, abused, threatened, tied up, and if they have no financial way to care for themselves (most are between the ages of eleven and eighteen). A quote from “Girls Life Us” states: “For commercially sexually exploited and trafficked girls, the perception of threats is almost always based on the reality of violence. Girls believe that their pimps will act on their threats to hurt, to maim, to kill, and with good reason. So many of these girls have experienced rape, had guns held to their head, heard their trafficker talk about other girls he’s killed — enough violence, in other words, to ensure that girls are hesitant about running away.” (p. 158)

I am writing this second post just to let you know that after finishing the book, I can assure you that you really need to read this book in 2012. This is one current version of slavery, and it has to stop. You can go to this link to find out more information on how you can support GEMS: Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (located in New York City). My sister (and the end of the book also mentions it) alerted me to the documentary that was also created called: “Very Young Girls.” You can find more information about this video online or you might be able to watch through Netflix.

Please support this very important cause!

Nom Nom – Pretzel rolls

Posted by random olio

Oh man. I’m addicted to pretzel rolls.

So on the ‘About’ page on my site you will see that at the moment I have a salt addiction (it has been a very long moment). I can remember my mom having a pretzel addiction growing up. You would find partially eaten bags all over the house, as though she needed to have them a hands reach away when the urge hit. So far I have not really had any interest in pretzels unless they are dipped in white chocolate. What I do have is a newly found interest in pretzel rolls. Last July, I had them in the form of pretzel breadsticks at Stonewood Grill in Raleigh, N.C. (which I have recently learned has closed). Major bummer, it was a great restaurant. Then in November, I had them on a plane flying back from Amsterdam. Yes, I said it, I had an amazing pretzel roll on an airplane. Then, last week, at a local bakery.

The domino effect (and to my husband’s great excitement) led me to track down a good recipe for pretzel rolls. This one is very simple and tastes so yummy. The actual recipe is at the bottom of the post. The difference between a regular yeast roll and a pretzel roll is what they call the ‘lye’ bath, details, further explanation, and photos at the above link. Basically you are poaching the rolls before baking, and that gives the pretzel roll the darker brown/harder texture.

The great thing about this recipe is that they freeze well, and are just as good warmed up after pulling out of the freezer (no need to thaw), making this recipe last a long time! Well, maybe not a long time (they go fast at my house). They take about 2 hours to make, but most of that is in the rising of the dough.