januari 20, 2009

On Februari 20, 2008, one of my former students, who now teaches 4th grade, had this to say about Barack Obama:

As a black person in America this is the first time I've ever been able to tell my little cousins, you can be president and really mean it and have proof to back it up. As a teacher, I can look at every student in my classroom and say you can do it too.

anniversary

Happy 3 years, blog.

fastest dinner

Olive oil, onion, garlic.
Salt, pepper. Crushed fennel seeds. (Saffron?)
Chopped carrot, ginger, red pepper. (Fennel?)
Water, white wine. (Cream?)
Sugar?
Boil.
Shrimp.
Pull from heat the second shrimp are done.

california is green right now

mlk day last year I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. I haven't been to the top of this mountain since. until today.

males

I liked Clint Eastwood's latest movie, Gran Torino. I liked The Wrestler also. That's the one where Mickey Rourke makes a comeback playing an aging professional wrestler.

Both films have a strong male ego front and center. Both men are uncompromising. Their endings are similar.

The testosterone is flowing. Mickey Rourke's is tempered by a goodhearted stripper, Eastwood's by a young Hmong woman living next door.

They say there are no supporting characters in real life. But movies sure still have them.

humans

There was a plane making an emergency landing in the Hudson River in New York last week. It was dramatic, and it was all over the news for days.

Everybody on the plane survived, and the pilot was named a hero seconds after the incident.

Tugboats helped rescue passengers, and tugboats were declared heroes too.

According to CNN or MSNBC, whichever I was watching, it was 'A New York Moment', and 'An American Moment'.

It was not.

It was somebody doing his job really really well, and others rushing over to help. That kind of thing happens everywhere.

I think there is something very unattractive about labeling compassion.

People always come together in times of crisis. What I wish is that people more easily would come together in times of non-crisis.

joe goes to israel

Found this at Babs'. And tell me it doesn't freak you out.

cooking, medieval style

So yeah I made gravlax, my favorite dish ever. You basically cover salmon with sugar and salt, and leave it for a couple of days. I used four tablespoons of sugar, and four tablespoons of salt, for every kilo of salmon. I let it sit for 48 hours, which was a little short. Next time I'll leave it for another day.

Spice-wise I made two versions: One was super traditional using black pepper, allspice, and enormous amounts of fresh dill. The second one had fresh ginger, lime, coriander seeds, and black pepper. Both turned out good, but not great.

Here is a good step-by-step recipe with simple instructions.

more from damien rice

I like sad songs

I just told Dan that "happy music is for losers".

I just found a cd with music from caitlin

e-waste

If you are in the US: click this link, and find a local recycling spot for old electronic equipment. Cool, huh?

new year's in dublin

I don't know why I don't like Bono. Here is, however, a column he wrote for the New York Times that I kind of like.

the mothership

The Mothership? Where all expatriate Swedes trek to refuel? IKEA, obviously.

JaCal, a Swedish woman living with her family in California (blogging here), said it.

smartypants strikes again

I created a wikipedia account tonight so I could edit the gravlax entry.

where I grew up, in winterland

Pretty, huh? I borrowed the photo from Gunnar.

helping the googlers

Bowie song in the trailer for Milk: Queen Bitch.
Bowie song in the trailer for Frost/Nixon: Fame.
Bowie/Queen song I heard yesterday in another trailer for a movie set in the 1970s: Under Pressure.

yeah, 'getting exercise regularly' is a tad more boring

My favorite author had borrowed a new year's resolution from somewhere, and it said:

My New Year´s resolution is to inspire, be fierce and never be ugly.

I think I'll use that one too. And I guess that means both of them already have made good on the first part there.

starting the year in style

Leg of lamb.
Garlic.
That's all I am saying.