My last day at the unit

I didn't know it then but these are the last pics from the last day I served with my old outfit. I have "parted ways" and am returning to my original station. 4 years of fun in the mountains and on helicopters! Made some great friends and have awesome memories.
All things must pass.

calm moment...



NOT a calm moment...

lidded jars.

experimenting with jars like chess pieces on black
clay. trying to come up with new glaze combos.
...about 15 more in the kiln.

I like this CD.

super mellow. good for pottery.
kinda pastoral and melodic.
definitely folky.

I like it.

Fleet Foxes.

Ready?.....Wheeeeeeeee!

very interesting article!

from SALON of course...
about Obama's timid liberalism.

I also heard some interesting stuff on NPR
today about the economy, about nationalizing
banks. One point made, of many, was that if any other country
came to us and asked what should be done with their
failing banks we would recommend that country's
government should immediatly take over, clean up,
root out and overhaul...then turn it back over to the
private sector as soon as possible.
But when that country is the USA no one wants to say
that for political reasons. Hmmm.

Really, Borscht! I am not kidding!

Got this recipe when I worked at the Olive Tree on MacDougal...well, I didn't actually get the recipe...I sneaked peeks and guessed...and I didn't actually work at Olive Tree, I was more like a slave for tips. But it was well worth it. That place introduced me to some of my favorite parts of NYC and, weirdly, the place is located right around the corner from where Cami lived for years and where they will be living again on Minetta Lane in Serpico's actual apartment. (You gotta blog some pics of your new place for me Cam.) Did we live there at the same time? 1991-1993?

Anyway. The Borscht. Hot, not the cold weird pink stuff served with sourcream.

a bunch of meat cut up, stew beef whatever etc

4 cut up beets (or more if you want)

beef broth (or 5 cups salted water)

maybe more water if you like it brothier

1/2 a cabbage cut up

1/2 an onion cut up

1 tsp of dill

1 clove garlic whole

3 cut up carrots

1 stalk celery
1 tsp red wine vinegar
sourcream or greek yogurt dollup (sp?) optional

crock pot, 4-6 hours low

EASY.

Really, only Matt likes it around here as we are trying out being vegetarians

which has opened my eyes to just how many good things my kids actually do like to eat.

But beets are not one of them.

Look what Annie made for me!

BORSCHT

At 0600 I came home from 13 hours of running over the mountain (literally) to find that my beloved wife made me the best soup ever in the history of the world. Before I ate it I was lonely, sad, depressed, hungry, tired and dehydrated. After I ate it I was happy, content, snuggly with myself, hydrated and convinced that my wife is the greatest person in the entire world. BORSCHT are you kidding me? I love it. Annie rocks the casbah! Have you had a bowl of hot borscht lately? I suggest you do, you may have forgotten how good it can be. It helps to eat it from one of Annie's bowls if you have one....

Thank you Annie! I love you.

Matt

on my mind.

1. Dreyer Family Band stuff...
2. the incredibly awesome quilt that Mac
and Emmett are making piece by colorful piece
3. how much Mac has grown and how she is changing every day
4. Silas
5. the light...
6. and we miss you BEBE!

babysitting night

try this experiment...

1.pick a number between 1 and 10

2. multiply it by 9

3. if there are two numbers in your number now, add them together (for instance, if your number was 17, add 1+7=8. 8 is now your number)

4. subtract 5 from your number

5. find the letter of the alphabet that goes with your number (for instance, A=1 B=2 C=3 D=4 E=5 etc...)

6. Pick a country that begins with that letter

7. the last letter of your country, pick an animal that starts with that letter.

8. the last letter of your animal, pick a color that starts with that letter.

9. now, check the 3rd "comment" from ma and pa otter (below).

turns out bob ross has lots of fans...and parodies...

some simple...



some twisted...

could it be true that we may get chickens at the school?

bob ross forever

the first video I posted was of an actual episode but was taken off youtube for copyright infringements...so here's a wiggy 70's tribute.

bit of Bebe!

a good one... (thanks mom)

from a Salon article by Gary Kimya <-----click here for the whole article.
"The economic crisis has finally revealed the fundamental contradiction in the right's worship of unfettered capitalism, a fealty neatly summed up by the phrase "greed is good." Conservatives believe that the market is not only the greatest generator of profit but is also morally superior to any other system. It is morally superior to "do-gooder" liberalism because it encourages individual responsibility and hard work. By contrast, liberal redistributionist programs result in moral hazard and encourage malingering and irresponsibility.

But this happy vision in which the hardest, most responsible workers are also the wealthiest has now been shown to be a chimera. In the age of post-industrial, globalized, virtual capitalism, the biggest profits do not accrue to those who work the hardest, but to those who best know how to game the system. We all now know that we have been living in a world of Magic Money, a world of hedge fund managers and derivatives traders who made billions of dollars on arcane transactions they themselves did not understand. Until it all went south, these Masters of the Universe were the gods of the right. As in Calvinist theology, their worldly success proved their moral rectitude.

The problem for conservatives is that the world of Magic Money has now been shown to be utterly amoral. Money for nothing! That was the GOP's theme song. So the GOP can't suddenly attack the poor slobs who signed mortgages that were too good to be true without dethroning its golden idol of greed. You can't argue that Magic Money is good when you win and bad when you lose."

ps I love the word chimera.

trying to watch the Academy Awards with Silas...

...is completely insane. What were we thinking.











Really loved the show though tonight. Thankfully, Matt put Silas to sleep (to the Who) after many hours of the above...hurling himself off the couch and running all over the place. Though I saw only "Benjamin Button" I still love to watch this every year. Mac and Emmett sat through it all, which I think is a first. We all liked the tribute to musicals and Queen Latifah singing "I'll be seeing you, in all the old familiar places" completely straight and clear!
We will also remember this night as a very wiggly tooth night for Emmett
and the night before Mac goes to a week of 6th Grade Sea Camp on Fiesta
Island. And, not to forget the night before Nana gets her crown. (by the time
you read this, it will all be over!)

Here's some Indika, Isabel and Jesse too. "HONK!

... don't watch this if you are going to see the
show tomorrow. (promised I would say that!
no spoilers here!)

here's some Mama Mac for you...but if you are going to the play tomorrow I have been instructed to tell you not to watch this video!!

I'll tell you a joy of motherhood. Watching this babygirl find
the thing that makes her so happyhappyhappy and
being able to do it in such a nurturing environment!!



I wish I could actually SEE the play....I need windshield
wipers for my eyeballs.

(more full cast video to come!)

Pop's here

Pop and Lisa came for a visit.  We went to Mac's play and lunch.  Im sure Annie will post Mac's play soon, but my friend Emil sent a pic of me and Pop and I had to put it up.

Matt