Fidgety Foots

120 seconds a day = one post.

Whether I have anything to say or not.

An exercise in consistency.

The FDA has approved meat and milk from cloned animals. The ensuing broo-hahahahaha entertains - this is one issue where hippies and religious activists agree.

What I’d like to see is a process that ‘grows’ meat. Can you imagine the market for that? Vegetarians of the environmental and humane variety will flood the steakhouses.

Stormy weather hit us again this weekend. Friday was rain-rain-rain, today brought the promise of rain.

We climbed up Mission Peak this afternoon and stormy clouds over blue mountains soothed our complaining glutes.

Fremont and the bay looked squeaky clean from atop the mountain, the golden eagle that flew above us had obviously been to the salon this week. The air was crisp and cool like water after mint. This is the best weather to hike in - one tires so much slower.

Now the pitter-patter of raindrops (it’s not always feet!) is back on my porch as I sit, pleasantly sore, in an armchair.

Mmmm…weekends…

Today is one of those days when the answer to ‘WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?’ is a blank stare.

Nothing, nada, zilch. So I steal. Steal what? This post from Gypsy. Why this post?

1. It features a Dali, my favoritest painter of all time whose work invariably speaks to me. Before I knew much about him I’d go into a poster shop, fall in love with an unnamed painting only to discover that Salvador did it.
2. It poses a question that I’m too afraid to ask myself. Now that it’s out there, I have to answer.

There you have it. Two stolen mins.

Expat, what a sad word. Ex = has been, no longer is, pat = a gesture of comfort.

No longer will I have comfort.

I’ve torn myself in two, flung heart and soul to opposite corners of the world, straddled the seas with one foot on each continent.

Now my blacks and whites have muddied to grey.

Where do I fit in?

No pics for this one but it’s not a complicated recipe. It turned out delicious, spicy and sweet with roasted red peppery smell.

Ingredients:

• 2 red bell peppers roasted at 400 deg for 30 mins
• One red onion caramelized (sauteed in olive oil/butter till brown)
• One apple, cored but not peeled
• One tomato
• Dollop of cream cheese (about 3 oz)
• Clove of garlic
• Salt and pepper
• A cup of milk

Puree the ingredients…voila! soup.

I winged it with leftovers from my kitchen, so feel free to throw in other stuff. I can’t imagine how you’d ruin this soup.

We ate it with garlic bread, roasted yams and a salad. Mmmmm…..

Heath Ledger died today, a promising light extinguished. As my carpool buddy and I were driving home we discussed his legacy.

Me: I liked him in Ten Things I Hate About You, but he really blew me away in Brokeback Mountain.

Buddy: He was a good actor. But I liked Jake better in Brokeback.

Me: Jake? There was no complexity to him. What’s interesting about a gay man who’s comfortable with his sexuality?

It’s true. Tortured souls are more fun to watch than well adjusted people. Everything we strive toward, every self help book, every calming breath brings us closer to blah, banal, mundane. Just look at the glut of peepshows on reality TV that honor screaming children, overweight women, fighting friends, unfaithful couples….who ever wants to watch a happy family getting along at the dinner table?

Writing about this because it’s haunted me for a week.

We watched Spoorloos - The Vanishing a week ago. Scary stuff, esp for someone who routinely chats with questionable strangers (the stranger the stranger, the more interesting, no? ). No more spoilers here, you must watch the movie.

That same week I listened to a program on NPR about happiness. There is a definite correlation between happiness and the level of trust reposed in humanity.

Soooo - my choices are unhappy and safe, or happy and dead(or worse). You may think it’s a no-brainer, but I’m still on the fence on this……

To all who worry: until I’m off the fence I’ll choose unhappy and safe

Every evening my mind is a-buzz with ideas for the next post. The day’s impressions crowd me, endless possibilities for rumination, analysis and observation.

But I post in the morning when my mind is blank, scrubbed clean by a good night’s sleep.

Please to view this video. It’s hilarious!

I started to email this out, then got lazy and just posted it