looksee

Thai take-out and Rolling Jubilee livestream:

Baked brie:

 

Pre-show beboppin' @ 209 Victory:

 

 

 

R.I.O.T.S. @ WWT: 

 

 

HD is a Heathcliff:

Brittany, come take these away from me:

What is juice?

Embarrassingly jazzy, but delicious brunch:

  

My birthday pardy @ Oyster Bar:

Allow me to deflate your holiday spirit with my obnoxious and bitchy gift guide.

I like the holidays alright.  I get to hang out with my (expat) friends + family, fatten up on egg nog, do some fancy cookin', + deck the halls.  However, ATM + I really struggle with the gift-giving and receiving part.  We don't even exchange gifts with each other!  It's not even a thing for us + quite frankly, it's made our lives so much more pleasant.  Obviously, we can't get away with that with everybody.

I've got reservations compiling a list like this, because it's not an attempt to dump on anyone's thoughtfulness, but we've received an abundance of embarrassingly off the mark gifts that we immediately regifted or donated to charity without a second thought.  Our house is small + we work to not fill it with stuff.  This isn't a statement against our consumer culture and the insatiable desire to acquire more + more junk.  Well, maybe it is.  All I know is the whole affair gives me the blues.  But, if we're gonna do this, then let's do this properly.

Allow me to take the guess work out of it.  Here's a list of things we either need and use on the reg or things that we think are lovely and wouldn't mind taking up a little space in our home:

1.  Contribute to Rolling Jubilee on our behalf.  A little bit goes a long way.  As of right now, it's forgiven $7 million of distressed debt.  Such an uplifting movement! #occupy  

2.  Louise Erdrich's latest novel, The Round House.  ATM + I are big fans.  KMHD is too, so we can loan it to her when we're done.  

3.  Vinyl records are always good.  We've had our eye on this 2 Bears LP for quite some time now.  Too, Bikini Kill records are being re-released.  Mine went missing long ago.  How lovely it would be to have them replaced! Bikini Kill totally blew my delicate teenaged mind 20 years ago.  They still do, frankly.  (Do read Jessica Hopper's oral herstory of Bikini Kill for Spin magazine.) 

4.  Real maple syrup.

5.  LUSH products.  ATM uses the 'dirty' shaving cream and I adore snowcake soap or 'dirty' perfume.

6.  Any contributions to our eventual kitchen and bathroom renos would be greatly appreciated.  I took the pledge to Save The Pink Bathrooms.

7.  Yoga classes @ Blue Yoga Nyla.  

8.  Wine for me, Scotch for him.

9.  Nothing.  You don't have to get us anything.  Really.  Maybe we can buy each other drinks at the Capital?  A little peck under the mistletoe?  Cheers!

Quite honestly, I wish everyone came up with a list.  What is it you're hoping for Xmas?  World peace, right?  Maybe I can give your Santa a hint hint!

how to weekend

Last weekend, Everett + KMHD invited us to accompany them to stay at a house on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs.  It was an ideal location for four slow-moving epicureans.  I was in a constant dream-state. I loved it verily.  I hope we get to go back.

Before we went to the lake house, ATM + I stopped at the Pancake Shop for a late breakfast and popped into Moonlight Antiques and Gifts afterward. 


Whenever I'm looking for old kitchen objects or things for our liquor cart, I like to check at Moonlight Antiques first.  This time, I was looking for receptacles for succulents and cacti so that my friend Steven could fill them with plants.  It was hard to choose because there were so many options, but I'm super pleased with my finds.  The one on left is a lamp.  The one on the right is just classic:

The shop still had their Halloween display up.  I was blown away by this Big Bird costume because KMHD had the very one when we were little!

Mummy with herpes? Ol' Bacon Lip?

When we arrived at the lake house, it was beautiful and sunny, which is nice.  The next day was gray and rainy, which is nicer.





Everett, ATM + KMHD:


Dog tired:


Grilled lemon/lime.  The smells emanating from this bowl were so intoxicating.  Use for cocktails, tacos, or whatever you put lemon/lime on:


KMHD + I, post yoga practice:


We ate well:


I baked a buttermilk pie:


Kale city:


A crow creepin' up on the leftover waffles we set out for him (Photos by KMHD):

you said

sos

I feel that maybe I should better explain my need to remain at home, isolated, as the election results rolled in this past Tuesday.  For one thing, I was exhausted.  This election cycle essentially began the day Barack Obama was voted in the first time in 2008.  But, too, I knew that I could not watch folks be jubilant over the national elections, especially if their involvement in politics is perfunctory.  An Obama win is good, but it only means our work has doubled instead of sextupled.  It meant that a little over half the nation aren't completely bonkers. We were able to hold the line and maintain the status quo, nationally.

As a state, Arkansas has taken several huge steps backward.  In my view, we had no reason to celebrate.  I'm sure no one wants to hear that, but hear this:  if you live here, it will affect you.  If you consider yourself an Arkansan, here is our reality, properly summed up by ATM:

Here's things you can bet [our legislature will] try to pass: anti "voter fraud" measure like i.d. requirements etc., put anti-gay stuff right in the damn constitution, block Medicaid expansion and other "Obamacare" measures thus leaving our already poor folks even worse off, cut environmental protections on the state/local level to ease the burden on the poor poor rich developers, and the list goes on! It's gonna be a nightmare.  And if the Gov. vetoes the worst of the measures, they know they can just override it! 

I really hope that my family, friends, peers, and acquaintances pay attention because we've got, no shit, a lot of work to do.  Maybe challenge yourself to be 10% more political than you already are.

A good way to start, honestly, is by paying better attention, taking action when you are able, and being helpful to someone in need.  Just a few days ago, Occupy Wall Street launched Rolling Jubilee.

From howtosharpenpencils:

Now OWS is launching the ROLLING JUBILEE, a program that has been in development for months. OWS is going to start buying distressed debt (medical bills, student loans, etc.) in order to forgive it. As a test run, we spent $500, which bought $14,000 of distressed debt. We then ERASED THAT DEBT. (If you’re a debt broker, once you own someone’s debt you can do whatever you want with it — traditionally, you hound debtors to their grave trying to collect. We’re playing a different game. A MORE AWESOME GAME.)

This is a simple, powerful way to help folks in need — to free them from heavy debt loads so they can focus on being productive, happy and healthy. As you can see from our test run, the return on investment approaches 30:1. That’s a crazy bargain!

Now, after many consultations with attorneys, the IRS, and our moles in the debt-brokerage world, we are ready to take the Rolling Jubilee program LIVE and NATIONWIDE, buying debt in communities that have been struggling during the recession.

I'm so blown away by this action. This is people taking care of other people in a meaningful way.  Compassion and forgiveness.  Not the easiest thing to do, at times. I'm just...totally fucking impressed is what.  Please give. Please. I just donated $11, which is not a lot, but it appears that a little goes a long way.  Too, I hope that this helps ease some doubts that one may've had about the Occupy Wall Street movement.  From what I've read and heard from firsthand accounts, Occupy Sandy, an offshoot of OWS, has been and is more effective than FEMA and faster than the Red Cross.  Somehow, they've simplified helping people directly.

☹ it's ☹ only ☹ tues ☹ day ☹

I gave my contributions to my candidates and urged people to register to vote or update their registration and early vote.  I signed the petitions on issues that I agreed with to get on the ballot.  I encouraged people to vote and become educated on local issues and candidates.  But, you know what? I'm tired.  I've had my fill, I am done.  I didn't watch any debates because I feel they are pointless.  I'm tired of people being shitty to each other.  I'm tired of bad businesses.  I'm tired of fraud, voter suppression, rape illiteracy, climate change denial, anti-intellectuals, and faux outrage.  I'm tired of millionaire career politicians.  Just shut up, everybody.  My god.

Instead of sitting around watching idiot talking heads try to project who the winner is going to be, I'm going to be at home, alone, enjoying a media black-out.  I'd rather do nice, pleasant things.  

Post-results...

I had an otherwise normal night.  Drank lots of water, burned incense, did some stretches, went through this heap of paper on this table, and watched a movie.  I was warm and calm all evening.  Unplugging is absolutely necessary sometimes.

I'm relieved Obama won, BUT.  Tim Griffin (uch) is still in the House.  No medical marijuana for our state this time.  Arkansas is a deeper shade of crimson.  Drone strikes and infinite detention are still a thing.  So much work to do!

But, it was a good night for lady senators!

Peace out, Mittens.

pink and gray

dig

¡Pepitas!  
My recipe is as follows: the seeds of one pumpkin, 1/4 t onion powder, garlic powder + chili powder (the kind from the Mexican grocery), 1/8 t of cayenne, 1/4 t + five shakes of salt. 1 T of good olive oil.  After you extract the seeds, rinse them under cold water, dry on a paper towel.  In a bowl goes the olive oil.  Add the seeds.  Mix the spices together, toss them into the bowl, and mix well with your hand.  Spread on a cookie sheet and put into a 350 preheated oven for roughly 25-30 or until toasted, with a little midway tossing somewhere in there.  These disappear quickly.

La Colombe Pure Black Coffee.  

Open, pour over ice.  This stuff is not for amateurs.  Maybe split the bottle with someone you love? Otherwise, woof.  Jet fuel.  I've warned you.  Don't get me wrong, it's delicious, which is part of the problem.  Just...be careful.  

Well, we finally got our bumper fixed, which means we don't have to rent cars for trips.  It warn't cheap and our savings took a hit, so be careful in your little plastic automobiles! You are looking at a fixed bumper:

This gem was on the Michael Mayer RA mix that I posted earlier. An impeccably dark, mournful autumnal hymn.  Total standout:

We drove towards Stuttgart, AR today in hopes of seeing massive gaggles of migrating geese.  We were able to find them, but unable to get as close as we have in the past.  It's still a sight to behold.  We found three groups; this is the first and biggest one.  Even though we were quiet & careful, they sensed us and panicked before we could get a proper shot:

Here's the third gaggle.  These guys couldn't be bothered, but I didn't get any closer as I was feeling uneasy because I was trespassing on some private property and I was in pretty deep:


The wetlands and rice attract ducks and geese:


Rice spilled on the side of the highway:

The black waters of water tupelo. We haven't seen them with autumn leaves before.  This particular lot extends back for an eternity: