Some Inspiration.

Womens' magazines. The glossy pages are armed with insider tips and advice on how to look prettier, dress more fashionably and keep your man satisfied. They prey on our weaknesses, exploiting insecurities with colourful photo shoots but sometimes they succeed in providing affirmation of our greatness and some inspiration. The following article ran in the March 2010 issue of Glamour and is one I keep close at hand. And it applies to both sexes, although the audience it is being written for is clearly women.

“The Most Important 433 Words to Read This Month”

No matter how sophisticated and grown-up we become, everyone has her insecure days. In this excerpt from her new book, Eve Ensler celebrates the true power of a woman. Read it and send on to a girlfriend you love.

Dear Emotional Creature:

I believe in you. I believe in your authenticity, your uniqueness, your intensity, your wildness. I love the way you dye your hair purple, or hike up your short skirt, or blare your music while you lip-synch every single memorized lyric. I love your restlessness and your hunger. You possess the energy that, if unleashed, could transform, inspire and heal the world.

Everyone seems to have a certain way they want you to be--your mother, father, teaches, religious leaders, politicians, boyfriends, fashion gurus, celebrities, girlfriends. In reporting my new book, I learned a very disturbing statistic: 74% of young women say they are under pressure to please everyone.

I have done a lot of thinking about what it means to please; to be the wish or will of somebody other than yourself. To please the fashion setters, we starve ourselves. To please the men, we push ourselves when we aren't ready. To please our parents, we become insane overachievers. If you are trying to please, how do you take responsibility for your own needs? How do you even know what your own needs are? The act of pleasing makes everything murky. We lose track of ourselves. We stop uttering declaratory sentences. We stop directing our lives. We forget what we know. We make everything OK rather than real.

I have had the good fortune to travel around the world. Everywhere I meet teenage girls and women giggling, laughing as they walk country roads or hang out on city streets. Electric girls, I see how their lives get hijacked, how their opinions and desires get denied and undone. So many of the women I have met are still struggling late into their lives to know their way.

Instead of trying to please, this is a challenge to provoke, to dare, to satisfy your own imagination and appetite. To take responsibility for who you are, to engage. Listen to the voice inside you that might want something different. It's a call to your original self, to move at your own speed, to walk with your step, to wear your color.

When I was your age, I didn't know how to live as an emotional creature. I felt like an alien. I still do a lot of the time. I am older now. I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be OK with being different, with being this alive, this intense. I just don't want you to have to wait that long.

Love,
Eve Ensler

From Eve Ensler’s new book “I Am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World”

Homemade Mozzarella with Basil from the Garden!

Panic mode when the cheese temperature was rapidly rising.

Scooping and draining.

Separating the curds from the whey.

Forming the curds into a ball.

It's starting to have a stretchy consistency!

Kneading the cheese curds.

Beautiful spread with vegetables fresh from the garden!

Our delicious spread.

And Puss joined us for a lovely dinner.

I am not known for my culinary skills in a desirable way. Rather my friends have been treated to and my family served an array of ambitious attempts, where my menu consisted of burnt risotto, doughy gnocchi, teeth-chipping gingerbread cookies and lastly, dolmathes where the soggy grape leaves hung raggedly around uncooked rice. Despite my usual inedible outcomes I find the intricate process of cooking exciting and fulfilling. Preparing and sharing dishes enables me to host memorable soirees where the food may be more scoffed at than savored but it serves as the catalyst for bringing us all together for hours of conversation and laughter.

To complement my habitually disastrous results, I have a penchant for choosing difficult recipes showcased by my perusing Martha Stewart and elitist foodie blogs. That was part of the appeal when The Spokesman-Review (where I happen to be employed) published an article on cheesemaking: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jun/09/moz-zarella-magic/ I wasn't even aware this was something that could be done in single batches at home. It just seems like the sort of thing that requires a vat, wooden spoons as tall as I am and stretching machines in a large temperature controlled warehouse. As it turns out, the most difficult part of our making mozzarella was finding and working with the ingredients. Citric Acid I'm sure will be a useful addition to the kitchen cupboard and converting Rennet tablets into liquid involved a strange almost ritualistic doubling of the ingredients to throw out half. It didn't make any sense but we were afraid to disturb the precise directions.

As always in trying to follow a recipe in an exact matter, things went awry. The temperature rose too quickly and kept going, there didn't seem to be enough curds in our whey and the kneaded cheese had more of a lumpy texture than stretchy taffy consistency. The article we frequently referred back to for assurance is full of dire warnings of failure. It seems almost expected as the cheese experts focus their advice on encouragement to keep practicing until a successful batch is made.

We were prepared to start our second batch as we iced and refrigerated the cheese. But when it was sliced and prepared as part of a beautiful spread, we anxiously tasted the mozzarella and it was fresh and creamy and contributed to a delicious dinner! Our feast included fresh lettuce and basil from Julia's plentiful garden and was arranged beside ripe tomatoes and flavourful salami with olive oil and balsamic vinegar drizzled over.

It was a challenging recipe that ended successfully. It was a lovely dinner and it was a beautiful summer day enjoying Chardonnay on the deck with Julia as we caught up. It was a very leisurely and delightful time as we talked and watched the kids play on the assembled lumber of a dearly loved fort in the beginning stages.

Do you have any recipes that you are particularly proud of? How about any kitchen disaster stories?

-ako

10 Highlights from Last Week.

Some photos celebrating Fathers' Day and Jeffer's birthday:

Opening Night-My family LOVES baseball!Waiting for the gates to open.My gma and her cute hat.My gparents are too adorable.Showing off their snacks.

Sharing beer and snacks with my family at a local baseball game for fathers' day.
Firework show after the game.

Jeffer's 29th birthday celebration.I'm an excellent photographer.

Dance party at the drag show.Glasses and pints.

This morning was rough. It was Monday after enjoying two days of freedom and there was a mini-breakdown aversion as the day progressed--Thank goodness for good friends close and far away to validate my emotions as rational. I am finding more and more that with my intelligent girlies we are having to assure one another that even if it isn't logical for us to be feeling a certain way, it isn't any less important, necessary or warranted to have an emotional reaction to events in our lives. So I really appreciate that from today. This has me thinking of last week as it was full of many things I am so thankful to have experienced. What I found after looking over my list is most of them are focused on sharing something with a loved one--my most precious times occur with my relationships.

1. Treating my gparents to a baseball game to celebrate Fathers' Day early this year. It was opening night for the Spokane Indians! We gorged on kettle corn, peanuts, beer and oohed and awwed over the fireworks show and my gma and I appreciated the handsome talent on the other team (we were sitting by their dugout in left field).
2. Celebrating Jeffer's last birthday be he's old (29)! We've been putting up with each other's shit for many years now and I love him.
   
3. An unexpected and unlikely friend at work (which brings to mind that old strategic saying from political science "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Perhaps a bit conniving and dramatic but when you find yourself wanting to "smash someone's face into a jelly"....
   
4. Live music! Cristie and I caught shows at the Big Sleaze (The Spill Canvas) and The Mixx (local younguns but talented and could quote funny movies like none other)...and then of course karaoke at Monterey Cafe as Nathan and I took it upon ourselves to be backup singers for the whole bar and then did a wicked rendition of Avril's "Girlfriend" ;)
   
5. An answer to a question that has been plaguing our group for months regarding our favourite local bartender. ;)
6. Homemade ice cream sundaes (we're talking the works) with friends while we watched several episodes of Strangers with Candy.
7. Some great runs I got in down by the water. I truly get a different perspective of this city and appreciation of it's beauty being seated in the northwest when I go running.
8. Friends from GU and study abroad organizing a reunion in San Francisco for NYE!!
   
9. Buying my plane ticket to go see two of my favouritest people in the world next month-Stephen and Shane! A long overdue reunion of the three of us - :) x 10
   
10. The rainy weather as of late so I can wear long cardigans, chunky scarves and boots with my summer dresses as I read the fall fashion previews that have hit my newstand magazines..

What are some highlights from your week? :)

Summer 2010 To Do List.

The colours and activities in these photographs illustrate summer fun to me.

Saturday To Do List

• Work (3-11 am)
• Watch a movie
  
• Clean apartment
• Respond to emails
• Post blog
  
• Paint stools (?)
• Go for a run
• In bed early

This is my actual to do list for June 12, 2010. I am a list maker. Below I've compiled my to do list for this summer that I will attempt to complete by the first day of fall, September 22nd. If you have anything super fun or frivolous to add or you wanta join in on something, lemme know!

Summer 2010 Fun To Do List:

1. Dress Swank and Eat Out At One of Spokane's "Finer" Dining Establishments. Drinking fine champagne...or whatever they have (!) and hang out at a smaller casino on Division (Ace's?)...Update: DONE! We chose Red Lobster and Ace's but maybe we should do this again at a fast food restaurant. I think the humour was lost on us. :)
2. Mad Hatter Tea Party. An event filled with fun and whimsy. I have been working on a mismatched collection of dainty tea cups. I'm thinking dressed up to the extreme with tulle skirts and heels/oxfords and guys in suit separates with whimsical accessories. Avant garde makeup with a top hat balanced atop messy hair. Floral cloth napkins to join brightly coloured homemade cupcakes and tasty scones. I need a pocket watch.
3. Indoor Fort. On a rainy day build a fort of sheets and pillows and watch movies. Enjoy favourite childhood foods...mac and cheese (more like top ramen for me), ice cream, etc.
4. Golf Lesson. Nothing too offbeat about this one. I just want to see if I like drinking beer midday, driving golf carts around and competing with friends. I'm thinking I will.
5. Camping Trip. Swimming in the lake, lying out in the sun, making smores over the campfire, staying up late, talking, playing cards and drinking, sleeping in a tent and waking up to the crows.
6. Golden Girls Marathon. Mimosas, face masks and cheesecake with Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche & Rose.
7. Early Morning Cartoons. Netflix is amazing. Thanks to it we can make pancakes (or maybe just eat cereal) and watch my favourite Rocky & Bullwinkle early one morning.
8. Interior Renovations. Sanding, painting and reupholstering chairs, shelves and sitting bench.
9. Baseball Game. A few beers and hotdogs with the works with the gparents for Father's Day at an Indian's game. DONE! Kettle corn and beer w/my amazing gparents--love them!
10. Reunion with Old Friends. Getting together with two friends from college. We haven't all been together in years. So, so excited. We'll be in Davis, CA, home of the Toad Tunnel, riding bicycles and the Kolding family.
11. Outdoor Movie. At The Shop with blankets, candy and pop.
12. Outdoor Concert. DONE-CDA Park Summer Concert Series w/Dr. Mac :), Michael Franti and Spearhead at the music festival in Sandpoint.
13. See Fireworks. In Riverfront Park for the 4th of July. Luckily working on this holiday isn't too bad as festivities are at night and the city puts on a good show. DONE at Avista Stadium--opening night for the Spokane Indians and watching them downtown and playing with them at the bbq on the deck for the Fourth of July. :)
14. County Fair. Scary rides haphazardly put together, really bad but so tasty food and people watching galore.
15. Pub Crawl. Old basic never gets old. Maybe we'll make puffy paint shirts and have some sort of theme. Maybe we'll just tipsily walk from bar to bar.
16. Chocolate Tasting. At the Chocolate Apothecary in the Flour Mill. Brilliant business idea.
17. Pig Out in the Park. Seriously this time. Have to eat at at least three places this year. (I've only ever managed two max).
18. Rollerskating. Junior high jams and couple skating. Yessssss. (Although it does make me feel old, they don't even have the hot jam from when I was in jr. high--Ginuwine's "My Pony").
19. Bowling. Knee-high striped socks and trying not to embarrass myself (it would be a first)!
20. Day at Wonderland. Go Carts, Laser Tag, Mini Golf & Batting Cages. Perfect day?
21. Crafts. Make an apron and cloth napkins. No idea how to sew but I've got a machine and I am woman, hear me roar!
22. Get through my Summer Reading List. I'll post the books I've been meaning to read for ages and strong suggestions by friends later.
23. Amusement/Water Park. I've always wanted to know how much they'll let you drink before cutting you off so you don't drown when you float the lazy river.
24. Tandem Bike. Silly and certain to end in disaster. Fantastic.
25. Fake an Awkward First Date. Brad has spoken for this one. (and break up!)
26. College BBQ. With Flip Cup (Follow up to the BroBBQ from summer 2009).
27. Photo Scavenger Hunt Around Town. Break into teams. (Targets, activities and rules will be posted later).
28. Tourist for a Day in Own City. See Spokane in a new light. Snocones, gondola ride, ferris wheel and carousel down at the park, read the local paper and eat local fare. Document it all.
29. Fondue Night. (Game Rules and consequences posted later). (Sorta done-went to the Melting Pot) but do at place.
30. Family Game Night with Boardgames (Wii Sports & Rockband do not qualify).
31. Collaborative Dinner. Host dinner and have everyone make something together (at the party--no pre-made!)
32. Write (and Send) a Letter. The second part is the hardest for to me to follow through with. Do it on pretty stationary.
33. Buy a Keytar. Learn How to Play the Keytar.
34. Start a Band. This is first step. Second step is buy a parrot who thinks he's a duck and name him Guadalupe but Guade for short. Third step is to learn an instrument. Don't forget to burn a cd and do a photoshoot. :)
35. Start Learning Some Key Vocab in a Foreign Language. Not sure which one....
36. Maybe Take a Creative Writing Class at the Falls.
37. Write a short story. Send it in to publisher.
38. Get a Plant. Keep the Plant Alive.
39. Fly a Kite and Have a Picnic. Get a basket and checkered blanket. Juice box sangrias are also a good idea.
40. Tie-Die Shirts. They're back in fashion and awesome.
41. Make Mozzarella Cheese. It can be made at home--who knew?? Julia and I did this and it was delicious w/fresh veggies from her garden and chardonnay on the deck!
42. Go to the Farmers' Market.
43. Become an Expert in Something. That Bay Area movement known as Hyphy? Sea monsters? Ghost Ships?
44. Pick Strawberries at Greenbluff. Wear big floppy hat.
45. Paint Pottery. I could use another mug or vase.
46. Spa Day. Get some friends together for a massage or facial.
47. One Experience Where I Completely Trust My Intuition. Feelings seem trustworthy to me at times but only after examining them. Intuition can sometimes be favourable though as it takes into account factors we are unconscious about. Act on intuition once and be okay with it.
48. Get Tarted Up and Go Dancing. Fake eyelashes, curly hair and even heels.
49. Start Christmas Shopping. It's just a good idea.
50. Coffee Date Over the Phone. So many of my closest friends don't live in the same state and it's time we've spent some quality time catching up over java.
51. Beg for Money with Street Signs. Dress up super nice and hold signs "Need money for college". --courtesy Erick.
52. Tag Something. (I was serious, Gpa--that Satin Krylon really is for my bar stools).
53. Go to Cat Tails. I've never been!
54. Wine tasting.
55. Draw on the Sidewalk with Colourful Chalk. Jeffer's birthday is coming up....
56. Amusement park!!!
57. Perfect My Free Throw.
58. Get Bartenders' License and Invent a Signature Cocktail. Kill Shot? Haha.
59. Cocktails and Crisco. Have a Sandra Lee day of cooking /baking, drinking & table-scaping!
60. Go to a Film Premiere. Or at least act like it on opening night-get dressed up, have dinner, the works.
61. Float the Spokane River. Courtesy of Forner I have impeccable instructions!