Walking Cloe

Cloe really loves to sun herself but as soon as I get her red leash out she is up and ready for a walk.

   

It's been a few days since my last post. Why? Well, for one, I'm in the middle of dental work  I really needed something-anything to take my mind off of the daily dental dithers so I have been taking up walking with my dog, Cloe. It's not that I am new to walking my dog -au contraire- but now I'm more of a daily-walker than in the past. Not only does my mood improve by leaps and bounds, but I feel better each day and seem to be more positive than before. I've also been trying to prepare the house for my daughter to return from college this Friday. In other words clearing the decks so that tons of college stuff can make way into the house! It's terrific that she will be here for the summer, so we can get a little more time together before senior year and  the big job search. This summer she will be working for a wonderful hospital in the city at their healthy weight clinic. This is truly her dream job and we are so excited for her.

An Approach To Literature

The top book here is Writers at Work: The Paris Review Interviews, 5th Series and I've really enjoyed discovering the motivation behind some of the writers like Joyce Carol Oats, and my favorite Joan Didion. As I try to understand what it is that makes the craft of writing so varied and personal this series dishes on the writers, their thoughts on other writers, and the relationship between writer and audience. The book on the bottom, Plenty by Ottolenghi has been in my kitchen more than once. The vegetarian recipes are focused on one or two main ingredients then embellished with seeds, nuts, spices and various types of oils like grape seed, walnut, parsley and olive.

Spring's Pink

This is the same Crab Apple Tree that I posted during the brief snowstorm that we had in February. One season reflects another but in a different guise. Aren't these pink blossoms pretty? 

The digital age, for well- everyone

As I was reading my email this morning I came across a story of a working mom explaining tech terms to those who want to understand the various types of digital media.  For example, Hashtag is to Twitter as Pinning is to Pinterest. We all know that these various applications make our lives easier and certainly can keep us more connected than ever, but I wonder if we're missing the big er picture. I recently began to read Gavin Newsome and Lisa Dickey's book Citizenville about how citizens can use technology to improve their involvement in local governments. By using Twitter and Facebook to pool ideas, people can make a collaborative effort to see the changes they want through the process. The consensus mentality is not new but it is helped along by the convenience of social media. The challenge is how to use technology not for one group's political platform but as a voice for everyday citizens. The authors are all for embracing technology to not only improve and update our government's infrastructure but to create new ways of communicating to a wider audience while engaging the most precious resource- our ideas. Sounds like it just might be Twitter worthy.

One Book, One Philadelphia: The Buddha in the Attic

I really like the idea of one book, one city, so I always try to read what's chosen. The One Book, One Philadelphia: The Buddha in the Attic is no exception. I may not attend any of the activities that surround the book, but I still support the idea that literacy is a community effort and should be a priority throughout our lives. I also happen to love libraries which is where the idea stemmed.
 The story unfolds as young Japanese women known as picture brides are coming to America, specifically San Fransisco in the early 1900s post WW1 to seek what they hope will be a new life with new possibilities. Turns out that the men they have been corresponding with through pictures and notes are not who they purported to be. These men are older, with laboring jobs that need a partner to share the work load. The women acquiesce to their needs and remain haunted by the amount of work they endure as field laborers, shop keepers, and maids in their new land. As told in plural narration, the transition for these women is daunting from the language barrier that keeps them isolated to the western views that confuse them.  As they assimilate to the way of life in their new land, cultural inheritance is traded for more American ways, putting Buddha in the attic where he remains throughout their lives. The remaining part of the story is the discharge of Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor. The way they are dispatched is so very sad and begs us to reflect on the injustices of war for those who are removed because of their heritage and culture. Fear plays front and center in this story on all sides. That is precisely what the author wants us to see that war, fear, and cultural injustice go hand and hand.

Coffee, Brunch, and Coffee in NYC

My husband, son, and I along with lots of other family members attended a wedding last Friday night. On Saturday morning we went to Brooklyn to meet my son for brunch. We decided since we had a car to head out of his area of Williamsburg and go over to Vinegar Hill in Dumbo for brunch. There was a short wait of 30 minutes so we decided to go to Hillside Coffee next door (same owners) and get a coffee and share a pastry while we waited for brunch. The small space is cleverly decorated with a open air feel because of the great windows and channels a Southwest vibe.

sitting in the window at Hillside

the mufti-colored wood counter was eye catching and added a burst of color and whimsy that you don't see in most city coffee spots.

Poached eggs with spinach and multi-grain toast. The simplicity and natural display of this dish is just what you want in a brunch meal. No complicated flavors just light and fresh and delicious.

At the end of the day before we said our goodbyes we stopped at Blue Bottle Coffee in Williamsburg. The line was out the door as usual but worth the wait for a really good cappuccino.