I Don't Love Raymond...You?

Postcard of Philco TV 1959
Originally uploaded by catchesthelight

The other day I was lying in bed waiting for more news of celebrity deaths, when an advert for "Grey's Anatomy" flipped past on the screen and it suddenly occured to me: I have never watched that show. Ever.

So why, I asked myself as I flipped through the stations? Why had I thrown The Anatomy to the curb so?

It wasn't because I had made some concerted effort to ignore the show. I hadn't developed a distaste for any of the actors that appeared on it (well, that's not entirely true. Katherine Heigl does give me the hives but for reasons un-Grey's-related). I had heard great things even.

So why?

And then I thought about it. I went deep, Interweb. And then it occured to me: I will go to the grave never having watched a single episode of many, many shows, Grey's among them. Everybody Loves Raymond, Head of the Class, Moesha, Quantum Leap, Full House, House, Third Watch, Knight Rider, almost everything on Fox except the Simpsons...in short, the list is long.

And you know what? It's okay. And in fact, I'm kinda proud.

How about you? What are your TV/Pop Culture gaps?

The Weekly Salad

Black Olives
Originally uploaded by Craig !

I have a real thing for black olives lately. It's a problem. I add them to everything I eat. Everything. Breakfast cereal.

Again. It's a problem.

I have, however, found a salad that satisfies my craving for the black beauties AND can -for an added bonus - be kept in the fridge for more than a day without losing its freshness. Sweet.

You will need:

Black olives
grape tomatoes (sliced in half)
cucumber (if it's a big one peeled , de-seeded and cut in 1 inch pieces, if small sliced in rounds)
stale bread
feta cheese (cubed)

Throw all of this in a bowl and pour a balsamic vinagrette all over it (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano and fenugreek).

Enjoy!

...And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon

...And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon
Originally uploaded by marchthirddesigns

When the heat hits, most people's brains drift towards swimming pools and drinks on the patio.

Me? Tattoos.

Wouldn't this make a good one? (the decal on the shirt, not the baby...)

Also, see below.

Chinese Food

chopstick how-to
Originally uploaded by eecue

Today I am accompanying my son's Third Grade class on a school outing to Kensington Market. This will be a blast on many fronts as I get a fly-on-the-wall perspective of my son with his peers and he will, for one day, stop asking me, "Can we have Chinese food today?" as the market is in the middle of Toronto's Chinatown.

My son moves from obsession to obsession (dinosaurs, Lord of the Rings, Lego) and at present Chinese food has his brain in a death grip. So much so, that last night I told him the taco I made him had a South-Asian influence. He smashed it up in a bowl and ate it with a chopstick.

P.S. Wouldn't this graphic make a great tatoo?

Father's Day

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day!

The Weekly Salad

As you can see, this week's salad is simple to prepare.  Here are the directions:

1. Get busy in the bedroom.
2. Get pregnant and hope for the best.
3. Add child to wooden bowl that everyone gets for a wedding present.
4. Serve (s you right!)

See how easy?

I Love Books

I Love Books
Originally uploaded by Weeping-Willow

As most of you know, I love books. Everything to do with books. And I read a great one this week that I urge you to seek out.

It is called Marcelo in the Real World and was written for the Young Adult market by Francisco X. Stork. Although, it is aimed at a teen audience, it's appeal is more "discerning adults", I'd say. The author sets out to tell a simple story about a young man in the high-funtioning end of the autism spectrum and ends up teaching his audience - young and old alike -about acceptance, learning and, well, not judging a book by its cover which, ironically, is what drew me to the book in the first place! (When you pick up a copy and see the amazing cover art, you will see what I mean: it is spectacular!)

Not only that, it is one of the most moving books I've ever read.

INTERVIEW PROJECT

INTERVIEW PROJECT

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A friend of mine sent this link to me a few months ago and I didn't get the chance to look at it until today.

It is a cross-country road project embarked upon by filmmaker, former paperboy and all-round cool guy David Lynch that chronicles the lives of ordinary Americans.

It is phenomenal on many fronts as it manages to incorporate artfulness in a very pedestrian way (a personal goal of mine) and is interesting not only on a sensory level but a visual one, as well.

Plus, it's a terrific time-waster. Thanks for both making and ruining my day David Lynch. Thanks, a lot.

Dancing + Pretending Not to Buy the US Weekly = Same, Same

E. 3 st.
Originally uploaded by George Eastman House

My Son: How come every time that song comes on (Don't Stop Til You Get Enough by pre-freak-show Michael Jackson), you dance like that?
Me: Because my body tells me to, honey! I have to do it.
(pause)
MS: Is that the same as when we're at the Sobey's and you always have to say, "Tell me not to buy this (he points to the US Weekly, now discarded on the couch). And then I do and then still you buy it anyway?
Me: Same thing, brother. Same thing.

The Weekly Salad

Top Hat
Originally uploaded by George Eastman House

Every week I make an effort to introduce an interesting salad into my life. Some of them are fantastic (Orzo Salad? Holla!!) while others taste like drywall (You know who you are, Bok Choy Salad with Cashews....).

Last night, I managed to pull out an amazing one from my ....hat (no one wants to eat a salad pulled from that other place). Here it is:

You will need shrimp, 3 mangos, arugula, cilantro, 1 purple onion and the juice of a lemon.

Toss shrimp with olive oil and salt and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for ten minutes.

While these are roasting, cut up mango, chop cilantro and purple onion. Mix them in a bowl with the lemon juice.

Pour all of this on top of a bed of arugula (you may want to put some dressing on the arugula....may I suggest a peanut-type one?).

Enjoy!

Sneaker Pimps

I like sneakers
Originally uploaded by ccjjmm

Ever since I turn 40 and turned in my Cool Person card, I have been trying to figure out what the kids are into these days. My go-to-person for this is a young guy who teaches guitar to my son (I won't reveal his name as doing so will automatically put his Cool status in jeopardy). Just trust me, he's pretty cool.

You want to know how I know he's cool? It's very simple: he has more than two pairs of sneakers.

It does not take a genius to figure out that this is the juice that keeps the coolness flowing. Every time that I drop my son off for his lesson, my eyes are immediately drawn to the shoes. And every time I'm amazed at how fly (Now do you see how uncool I am? No one says fly anymore...) each pair is : one day high tops, the next day lowriders, all in various fashion colours, all with interesting decals, makes and models! The mind boggles. And every time I leave wishing - nay, praying! - that I was equally as cool as a teenager.

Now if I can only get him to pull up his pants so that I don't have see his underwear every time.....

Martha's Calendar

For reasons still unknown to me, each month I receive the latest copy of Martha Stewart Living in the mail. There was a time when I quite enjoyed receiving this mag, loved the recipes, the garden and house porn, the insane collections that made no sense outside of the confines of said magazine. But now, when I look at the magazine, I cannot get past Martha's calendar, a supposedly real chronicle of the tasks, events and ephemera that fill up The Martha's daily life. Every time it comes in mail, I read it. And every time I close the magazine shaking my head and asking myself: Is she for reals?

I know mocking Martha is like shooting fish in a barrel (preferably one hand-milled from 200 year old oak from the forests of New Hampshire). And that she's an icon for women entrepreneurs and blah, blah, blah. But have you read the calendar? I defy you not to read it and wonder whether this woman is not totally insane. Or at the very least a member of a Stepford-style race of clones sent to make woman feel completely insecure about being multi-tasking millionaires. You be the judge. And remember that on top of each entry, she omits the rather obvious: run multi-million dollar empire!

(N.B. These are actual entries......)

July 7

• Organize digital photos
• Harvest raspberries and blueberries, and sprinkle them on Greek yogurt for breakfast

July 22

• NBC Today Show appearance
• Train with Mary
• Dig and divide overcrowded irises
• Sow biennials (lupines, verbascum, and foxgloves) for next year

Dag, woman. Take a nap! Get drunk! Sheesh.

Mortality 101

Out of the blue this weekend, my mind drifted towards a boy I went to high school with who was the first peer of mine to die unexpectedly. You always remember the first time something like this happens to you regardless of how close you were to them, when death casts its influence and refuses to go away.

What triggered it was a random conversation I had with a stranger at the ATM. I was waiting for my turn and got to talking to an older gentleman. The whole time I kept asking myself if I knew this fellow, wondered if maybe I'd spoken to him before. He was the sort of older guy I adore, the type who, despite his age, retains a touch of youth-as though the boy in him were still visible. The more time we spent gabbing the younger he became, until the transformation was complete, and he became someone else: Andre, that now-dead-boy from my past.

As maudlin as it sounds, I was elated that this had happened to me, on an ordinary Sunday, that an out-of-the-blue conversation could magically transform itself into an extraordinary event. I have always been drawn to footprints.

The Last Word on Grey Gardens....for now

So beautiful.

Tim Gunn: Action Hero?! Make it work, people!

I knew it was just a matter of time.....Enjoy!

Tim Gunn, Marvel action hero?

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Great Mixed Tape

Last month, friends of ours had a baby and I wanted to give them something that wasn't in a casserole dish. So, I made them a mixed tape! I felt like Noel on Felicity, except that I'm a 40 year old black lady and the Felicity character in this case is a cute couple in their mid-thirties who already have two offspring. And it is really a CD and not a tape. And it wasn't made in a fake university dorm room circa 1991. You see where I'm going with this, though, right?

Anyway, I highly recommend going the homemade route with a gift like this. Usually the recipients have been overwhelmed with a bunch of new gack that they feel pressured to use and are only too happy to have received something that didn't require fine motor skills to do up (you hear that onesies?!) Here are the songs:

1. Father and Daughter - Paul Simon


2. This Must Be the Place - Talking Heads


3. Still Fighting It - Ben Folds


4. X or Y - Loudon Wainright III


5. Old Man - Neil Young


6. You are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne


7. Dreamer - Jenn Grant


8. People Got a Lot of Nerve - Neko Case


9. String Of Blinking Lights- Paper Moon


10. Blindsided - Bon Iver

I am doing my best not to stay obsessed with Grey Gardens. The old doc, not the new made-for-TV extravaganza. Very hard work as my mind drifts to Little Edie often: when I'm cleaning the house, feeding the raccoons, adjusting my turban.

To be fair, it is extremely difficult to watch that level of need made manifest. What a terrible house of mirrors she and her mother created for each other.

Wish I could turn away.....