More news from nowhere

I have made the most amazing and terrible discoveries (in order of discovery):

1. Television on the internet.
People always bring this up when I tell them I don't have a tv and therefore have never seen such and such must see show they are talking about. My sister has even demonstrated it for me as we watched episodes of Grey's Anatomy as "homework" for her premed studies. But, Television On The Internet! I watched all two full episodes of Eli Stone last night and am craving more more more.

2. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
I have Nick Cave songs. I have had Nick Cave songs for a long time. I even listen to them. But today as I was streaming KEXP through my iTunes, they played "Red Hand Right" and I think I am in love. Nick Cave might be the best thing ever. How did I not realize this before?

3. Using the internet from my bed.
I never even tried this before, but hanging off the end of my bed to keep pressing play through two episodes of Eli Stone sparked some bit of genius in my brain, and upon some further investigation it turns out the cables attached to my little modem Are In Fact Long Enough To Reach My Bed. I am in utter shock that I have been using the internet from my desk exclusively for the past three years. I am a changed woman. Oh the luxury and justice of using the internet from the comfort of my bed!

This could be a dangerous combination. Except for Nick Cave. Nothing bad about that.

Constant gardener to be

I have an interview to volunteer at the SF Botanical Garden Nursery on Jan 23rd!

I hope hope hope they accept me. Even if it means my Saturdays are booked from 10-3 for the foreseeable future. The volunteer coordinator man said that the Nursery spots are the most hands on with plants of all the volunteer jobs, and I'd learn the most about plant growing. It would be so ideal!

If I keep up with the banjo (which I plan to do) and get this nursery spot (fingers crossed) and manage to swing this Spanish class (please please), I will be unfathomably busy, but the thought of all that just feels so good. Maybe I'd burn out, but the anticipation is invigorating.

Think happy thoughts for me on the 23rd!

Decisions, decisions!

My Iceland insider has just forwarded me the invite to this year's Þorrablót put on by the Icelandic Society of New York.



Just think - I could dine and dance with scores and scores of elegantly dressed Icelanders.

Can't Icelanders throw crazy parties on the West Coast?? Send them to my house, I'll find them rotten shark and sheep heads. I'll even dress up nice, I promise.

Am I desperate to meet Icelanders six hundred dollars' worth? If they would just throw in some hot springs and a bit of glacier or volcano, I would so totally be there.

College applicant

Not only did I search the interwebs for Spanish classes today, I found the most perfect one through Berkeley City College - on the UCB campus, no less - Mondays and Wednesdays from 630-930pm, AND I applied to the Peralta Community Colleges so I can enroll. If only all college applications were that easy. With any luck, I will be accepted by tomorrow and there'll still be a spot left in this Spanish class.

I have also made contact with the SF Botanical Garden folks about getting my volunteer on. According to their volunteer coordinator guy, they do indeed take garden volunteers for weekend help. All I need to do is fill out their application and hope they accept me. I calculated this morning that if I can volunteer for five hours every other weekend, I'll have enough time under my belt to apply to the Peace Corps in just three months.

I even studied my Icelandic this morning. And confirmed that I can in fact still take 3 months of unpaid leave from work and be covered by health/dental insurance.

How proud of me are you??

PROFESSIONAL

I thought you would like to know that I am now a professional musician.


I almost always have to wait about ten minutes to catch the BART home after my banjo lessons and usually I wander down to the far end of the station and play quietly to myself, but the Fremont trains always have just three cars, so today I plopped myself down right in the middle and started playing to pass the time. Usually I keep my case closed to keep it out of the way, but it was mentioned to me that I should leave it open with a dollar and some coins lying there suggestively. That would be going too far, but I figured it wouldn't hurt anyone if I just didn't happen to close the case back up after taking the banjo out.

And wouldn't you know that a crumpled piece of paper fell just beside me during the middle of Salt Creek. Adrenaline! I very nearly bungled the song and couldn't bear to look at what the mystery paper was or even make eye contact with the stranger who dropped it, but there it was when I went to pack up! One whole dollar! And without knowing who it was that contributed to my musicianhood, it was almost like everyone had. My public loves me, and I love them back!

I need to find a dollar-shaped frame so I can put this on my wall!

Time for a lil change

I am feeling hopeful about 2009. We're already getting rain and the air is clear and Obama will be our president.

I always like to do a little new year's planning (and mid year's planning and fall planning and spring planning and planning in general) but somehow this year feels even just a little fresher and brimming with possibility.

I've gotten into the habit of telling everybody what it is that I want to do and that I care about, and I like that. Other people may have figured this out a long time ago, but I am still surprised and exhilarated by people who are not myself getting excited with me about my plans and getting fussy about my Victorian non-romances. So, may 2009 bring more of the same!

In the spirit of sharing and being held accountable, here are a few more things I'm hoping to work on this year:

I want to be more thankful. Seems like a cheesy thing to say, but there really are so many great little things and big things that happen and people that I love, and I want to be better about calling that stuff out and really appreciating what there is to be appreciated.

I want to do something completely different. I want a new career path, and I want to help people and the Earth. Full time. I want to be someone who does plant/health/environmental things. I adore each of the plants in my little jungle, but I want to take it to the next level. I want to know what organic farming is about. I want to know the names of things and where they come from and what makes them happy. And I want that to be the sort of thing my parents tell people when explaining what I get up to these days. I want to volunteer at a Botanical Garden (or something similar) and I want to apply to the Peace Corps before the year is out.

I want to get out and see the world. Specifically, Iceland. I am promising me in public that economy or no economy, I will set foot in Iceland before the end of this year. I will. I Will.

I want to exercise my brain muscle. Every year I try to read 24 books. It always sounds perfectly reasonable in January and utterly impossible in December. I've never quite made it, but I do like trying. (The Tale of Genji totally counts as six books, btw).

I want to exercise my muscle muscles. Which means riding my bike to catch the West Oakland shuttle when it's not raining and doing yoga multiple times per week. Because it feels good and I sleep better.

I want to make art. I want to learn up some bluegrass banjo before I can't afford lessons anymore and I want to finally figure out how to turn on (and use) one of the sewing machines in my closet. It would also be cool to learn silk screening, draw (or collage mosaic or sew) more plants and birds, take photos and use some of my now giant stash of photographic paper in the darkroom, and/or do some of the art ideas saved in my notebook.

I want to be great and inspire greatness. Whatever that means, I want to be that when I grow up.

So there you have it.

Banjo check in

I can totally play six songs now. Six whole songs. Practically fluidly. Still a little bit slow, but I kinda like the drawl of them slow. Some I can even play at a speed neighboring fastness.

Here is my usual practicing playlist:
1. Fireball Mail
2. Cripple Creek
3. Down the Road
4. Salt Creek
5. Groundspeed
6. Kansas City Railroad Blues

How great is it that most of the songs talk either about creeks or trains?? (Fireball Mail is about trains and Groundspeed probably would be about trains if it had words). You should just hear Don Reno and Red Smiley playing Kansas City Railroad Blues. The fiddle sounds just like a train whistle. And the banjo is like the train clickety clack.

Happiness.

Bridesmaidenhood

The most exciting news of the year is clearly that Russ and Ciana are getting married. How great and wonderful and perfect and lovely and best is that? Also awesome is that I got to have brunch with the newly affianced just minutes after things were settled. And if that weren't enough, I get to be a bridesmaid! Which is very nearly as good as actually getting married! So, yay!

I could not even dream up a lovelier couple and feel honored just to know them, let alone get to prance about in a fancy dress (or whatever Ciana would like because she has the most refined and delicious taste of anyone I know and therefore if it is decided that I am to wear orange taffeta with maybe one of those enormous hats with animal fur print trim, that is indeed what I will wear) on the big day. Swoon.

I wish you both a continuation of all the best and then some! May your days be filled with beauty and romance and good wine and Edwardian balls and sparkly chandeliers and good books and warm fireplaces and exciting adventures.

Greeting cards, take one

I made some of these for my mom for Christmas, since I was a little late getting started with the Christmas cards she asked for. I was still cardless as of the morning of 12/24, but I managed to carve the design and print twenty of these babies in just a few hours. Not too shabby for a first attempt, granted I got the paper and envelopes premade from the art store.

Anyway, she liked them so much that she ordered ten more for me to send to my aunt in Colorado, so it looks like I'll be making another trip to the post office.

**Credit is also due to my dad for remembering that my mom loves poppies and Laura for explaining over and over how to lock the door to her bedroom/my workshop so as to preserve the Christmas surprise factor. Twenty-seventh time's a charm!

Were you aware of it? vol. 13: Glögg

Glögg
Serves 6
For Finns, mulled wine isn’t good enough. They spike it with vodka, set it on fire, and call it glögg. This ice melter is sweet and spicy, with caramelized sugar and cardamom. It’s got nuts and raisins. It’s got an umlaut. What more could you want from a winter drink?

Ingredients
* 1/2 cup brandy
* 1 cup sugar cubes (actually, i'd recommend going easy on the sugar - half a cup should be PLENTY, although maybe if you actually set the stuff on fire, the sugar would chill out).
* 1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
* 5-6 whole cloves
* 1 orange, zested and sliced
* Cheesecloth
* 1 bottle dry red wine
* 2-3 tablespoons Madeira
* 1/4 cup vodka
* 1/3 cup raisins
* 1/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds (and feel free to go crazy with the almonds)
* 2 cinnamon sticks

Instructions
Pour brandy and sugar cubes into a small skillet. Set aside. Tie up cardamom, orange zest, and spices in cheesecloth and combine with wine, Madeira, raisins, and almonds in a roomy saucepan. Place over low heat.

When the wine begins to steam, set the brandy and sugar mixture over high heat. As soon as it comes to a vigorous simmer, kill the lights, strike a match, and set the sucker on fire. When the flames die down, pour the thick syrup into the hot wine and stir. Add the vodka and serve immediately in small mugs garnished with a cinnamon stick and orange slice.

**Courtesy of Galen Moore of ReadyMade