Paperback Swap

Posted on June 21, 2009 by jeannie

I’ve just joined yet another website. How many website and cyber handles can one person have? Wait, don’t answer that; I really don’t want to know.

This one, though, promises to be useful. It is an online community of readers who swap their books FOR FREE. It’s called paperbackswap.com.

Basically, you sign up and start posting all the books you can bear to imagine living without. For the first ten books you post, you get two free starter credits. Since most books are worth one credit, this means that I can request two books right away, as I did today, to order Bella’s summer reading for her Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition class: Huck Finn and The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass. Audiobooks are usually two credits.

The people who own those two books pay for the shipping to mail me those books. When somebody requests a book from me, I pay the shipping, which is supposed to be around $2.50 media mail.

Within minutes of posting my first ten books, somebody requested one of mine. Of course it was the one book I almost didn’t post, but after looking at the inscription (yes, it was a gift – but 7 years ago and I still haven’t cracked it open!), I decided I was alright to let it go. You can print postage paid sheets from the site if you have an account or you can just print the mailing form and mail the book yourself. Pretty straight-forward.

You can see the books I’ve posted so far here (I hope this link will work for nonmembers). Let me know if you want one and I’ll probably send it to you instead.

Nifty idea. I’ll see how it goes and tell you more when the books arrive.

I find that I’m kind of itching to go through my bookshelf and find more books to post. It’s very satisfying to pass along a book to somebody who wants it (and presumably will read it…)

Posted in books | 2 Comments

Back to Bittman

Posted on June 18, 2009 by jeannie

I got the last third of my birthday present from my brother last week, which was a copy of Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. I know I’ve raved about this book before, and that was a borrowed copy from the library. Now I have my very own library-bound hard copy and it’s an all-newly revised tenth edition. I couldn’t be more thrilled. (Thank you Songbae!)

So, the peanut sauce I made last week is a winner. Bella even asked me to transcribe the recipe into her book (the journal I keep for her). You could pour this sauce over anything; we had it over fried tofu, steamed green beans and broccoli, and rice.

I made a simpler version than Bittman’s and it was still tasty. The revelation was tossing some of the ingredients (dried chiles, garlic, shallots) into the food processor before sauting them.

Peanut Sauce

3 small dried red chiles or cayenne pepper or red hot pepper flakes (As a good Korean girl, I had all three, and used the first choice)

3 garlic cloves (I used a little more)

2 shallots (I used the gigantic scallions from my CSA basket)

1 stalk lemongrass (didn’t use)

2 tsp turmuric (didn’t use)

1 T peanut oil or neutral oil (I used olive because I was out of neutral oil and I get my olive oil at Costco, meaning I never run out.)

1 c coconut milk (Just use the whole can already – of course, Bittman makes his own.)

1 T brown sugar

2 T soy sauce to taste

2 T freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 c chopped roasted peanuts or crunchy peanut butter (I think I used more than this – a combination of leftover organic; mine and now Christian’s, and Skippy: Bella and Chad’s)

1. Blend first five (or three) ingredients in food processor.

2. Saute briefly (1 min). Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Stir occasionally until the suace thickens (15 min).

3. Salt or soy sauce to taste.

4. Sit back and watch your family knock themselves out eating veggies dipped in this sauce.

Posted in books, recipes | 2 Comments

Pre-spam Purple Tree Story

Posted on June 17, 2009 by jeannie

I don’t where I heard this story before I had email and was flooded with stories like it every week – perhaps it was in one of Sark’s books (when I used to own every one) – but I think of it this time of year when the jacaranda trees are gloriously in regal bloom along the streets, casting pale purple shadows with their dropped blossoms.

There’s a young girl in school sitting at her desk drawing for her teacher’s assignment. Unfettered by adult logical constraint she does the entire landscape in all the colors of the rainbow and colors her treetops purple. When the teacher pauses to look over the girl’s picture, she tells her that trees are green, not purple, and to please start over. When the little girl protests, the teacher sweeps the drawing off the desk, tears it in two, and drops it in the trash. There are no purple trees, and that is that.

Well, of course, after years of drawing green trees, the girl ends up moving to Laguna Niguel, California and discovers in June that there are ARE PURPLE TREES. And they’re everywhere making the whole town smell sweet.

It’s a good one to think of, the next time you tell a kid he or she is wrong.

Posted in homeschooling | 1 Comment

BKK, Here We Come

Posted on June 16, 2009 by jeannie

After much handwringing and fussing about, I finally booked tickets to Bangkok this weekend. I couldn’t wait to do it at home in peace and quiet – no, I had to call United and be on hold for twenty minutes at a stretch right in the middle of a family reunion celebrating my mother-in-law’s retirement (Hurray Ann!!).

In any case it was worth it. I watch plane fares compulsively when I know I have a trip coming up, and like a travel agent obsessed, I flinched when fares soared and cheered when I found a $874 LAX-BKK roundtrip on China Airlines. That’s about as cheap an air ticket as I’ve ever found to Thailand. I found the cheapest dates to leave, and return, which was tricky because Bella and I are returning separately.

Then my brother offered to let me us his frequent flyer miles as an early Christmas present.

After lots of phone time with United, my mission was accomplished.

My ticket: $75

Bella’s ticket: $75

Christian’s ticket: $379

Total: pocket change

I’m thinking about the banana pancakes made near the end of Sue’s street, with condensed milk dripped all over it; the steaming hot salty noodle soup at nighttime, the fresh fruit along the soi

and coconut yogurt every morning for breakfast!

Posted in gifts, says Songbae, Thailand | 3 Comments

Mark Mothersbaugh

Posted on June 15, 2009 by jeannie
Sleepover, 2009

Sleepover, 2009

Mark Mothersbaugh is devolving. While he still plays and composes music (think scores for Wes Anderson movies), the keyboardist of the 80’s post-punk bank Devo has always been more of a conceptual artist than simply a musician. His latest show, “Postcard Diaries: WE MUST REPEAT,” bears witness to his prolific production; there are just a few dozen examples of the 30,000+ postcard-sized images that he has been creating daily as a visual diary over the years. And although these prints and paintings have an R. Crumb-style appeal (and Murakami-style marketing know-how), Mothersbaugh impresses most with his new projects: namely, his rugs. His custom-made rugs take old and new imagery and create visually engaging and tactilely irresistible works that are produced in editions of “P.” That’s right, Mothersbaugh is still making us scratch our heads and chuckle (Irvine Fine Arts, Orange County)

Posted in art | Leave a comment

ng

Posted on June 11, 2009 by jeannie

My brother-in-law, Joss, is mainly what I call an abstract photographer, but with the arrival of his daughter Nabi Grace (ng) two years ago, he has proven to be a deft portrait photographer as well. A good eye is such a lucky thing to have.

Posted in Nabi Grace, photography | 1 Comment

Carrie Yury

Posted on June 10, 2009 by jeannie

For all the exposed skin we see in Carrie Yury’s second photography show, one might expect to see some tits and ass, but nothing gives. Each portrait – for although we never see a face, these are clearly portraits and quite intimate ones at that – is a diptych: two photographs of the same body are spliced together to create a landscape of flesh, but the heads are always turned away, and while sometimes the two halves fashion a tantalizingly long, naked torso, the bottom half is always wearing panties. No question, you will wonder who these women are and how they live. These investigations into the female “nude” reveal nothing, but promise much (Sam Lee Gallery, Chinatown)

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Ha ha! and gulp.

Posted on June 9, 2009 by jeannie

You’ve probably already been dragged in front of a computer screen or two to watch a “literal video” – you know, where somebody spoofs an old music video by keeping the same video but singing different lyrics – often just singing what’s happening in the video.

Well, they can be funny, but they get old fast.

The first good one I saw was “Head Over Heels”  a few months back, but now there are zillions. At this link to boingboing, you can find links to many of the funniest. Tonight we watched (and enjoyed) a literal video spoof of “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

My heart sank a little when I realized that many of the songs were from my high school years. Does this mean that my generation, instead of ruling the world, is making funny music videos? It does seem that I know a lot of musicians…

Posted in Jeannie's Stamp of Approval, music | Leave a comment

Strawberry Season

Posted on June 7, 2009 by jeannie


I remember once when I was a kid I was invited to go strawberry picking. (Laura, you must have been there, right?) We arrived that hot spring day and knelt by the short plants. I picked one ripe perfect berry and tasted it. My mind was completely blown. I had had no idea that strawberries could be so sweet and delicious and JUICY. This was the ultimate strawberry – the ideal I had never known. In my excitement I picked and picked and ate and ate. I was thrilled to bring home bright red strawberries for my family – an entire flat-ful.

My mom was less thrilled. She saw immediately that I had picked every strawberry at its peak ripeness, which is perfect for eating off the stem, but tragic for bringing home. She knew that it was only a matter of hours before these beautiful glowing balls of sweetness would dissolve into red mush and brown spots and fruit flies. Despite her irritation, I went to bed that night with new knowledge and happy.

In my naivete, I started to look forward to strawberry season every year, looking for that tart lush taste. But it never happened again. Years came and went and I became re-accustomed to dipping fresh strawberries in sugar. I never had strawberries as good.

Until this year. The organic farm, South Coast Farms, where I get my CSA basket held an open strawberry picking day a few weeks ago. Organic strawberries for 99 cents a pound! I slapped some sunscreen on the baby and headed on over.
And yes, to my delight I was able to share with Christian a truly delicious strawberry straight from the stem. We came home with a moderate two-pound bag. (I thought my friend Sierra was extreme by bringing home 15 pounds, but then I met another friend who picked 40 pounds that day!!)

So, we’ve been enjoying strawberries. And besides eating them raw and ripe and putting them into fresh smoothies, we’ve also been cooking with them.
I made two batches of strawberry scones today with this recipe here. YUM. I didn’t start by intending to make a double batch; I made one and it disappeared so fast I had to make another in the same bowl before it was even washed!

The scone recipe I used at the blog, Confessions of a Tart, is particularly delicious and easy; and we benefit from her experience as she went though no less than six recipes before landing on the winner recipe. And while I recommend going to her site to use the original recipe, I’m posting the ingredients here, which I think I’ve already memorized (the boon of going from computer to kitchen over and over again…) It’s 2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 3T sugar, one cup of chopped strawberries, 6 T butter (I used Earth Balance) and 2/3 cup half and half or buttermilk (I used soy milk), basically all mixed together in one bowl. Too easy. I’m going to have to make them again for friends coming over to knit and make dolls on Wednesday.
And this is a recipe for strawberry cake, which I haven’t tried yet, but Sierra has and I trust her judgment.

CHRISTIAN LOVES STRAWBERRIES. And now he even knows how to pick his own.

Posted in food, recipes | 4 Comments

Waldorf Demo Class

Posted on June 4, 2009 by jeannie

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72EkEo51RvU]

A month ago we had the good fortune to be able to attend a demo Waldorf class in Devana Came’s new Waldorf classroom in Corona, where she will be teaching preschool and parent-toddler classes starting in September 2009.

Not only is Devana a capable and caring teacher, but she also happens to be a superb Waldorf craftsperson – as you can see in the photos and mini-movies in this post. Nearly everything in this classroom was handmade by Devana (much of the wood work was done with her able husband and his father too). EVERYTHING on that magnificent nature table at the top of this post was made by Devana. Isn’t it gorgeous?

I organized this demo class so that our own playgroup would be inspired and motivated for our own playgroup starting in September. Devana has been a wonderful role model for us.

We all arrived 15 minutes before the official start time to let the kids run around outside and greet friends. It was interesting to note that everything was covered up with cloths, so the children would not get into anything. Only the nature tables were uncovered – and they were several around the room depicting spring scenes. They were not meant for play, but for decoration, so most were up on top of shelves and tables out of the children’s reach.

Then Devana sang us into the circle with Follow Follow Me and when we were all in a circle holding hands she sang Now Look Around.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxzB7Dt_veU]

Then she  spoke a short rhyme Fishes are Like Wishes with a tiny fish finger puppet that had been hidden in her apron pocket. (I learned that the apron is an important part of the Waldorf teacher “uniform.” It also acts as sort of a protective shield around the teacher – which I can really appreciate, having been a public school teacher for many years…)

Then while we were still sitting, she sang a short seasonal hand play A Little Flower. The idea is that as we learn these songs, we’ll sing with her her, but at this point we were all too starstruck to do anything but watch. Notice though, that Christian has no problem jumping right in!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU6V9ijMdzM]

Next we sang two songs while standing and moving, Rinka Ranka Rosy Ray and the well-known Ring Around the Rosie.

Then another handplay – one that Christian LOVES, which I call My Hands. (Um, I’m just making up titles as I go a long here.) Many of the songs and handplays were done twice, which helped the kids catch on to what what going on. Notice too that she alternates active standing songs with quieter sitting songs.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFiCd8ivLYc]

Followed by a sweet rhyme about bees with another finger puppet.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KT296eW83g]

And we ended with a tactile handplay on the children’s backs. She called it Crisscross Applesauce; I’ve always known it as Dot, Dot, Dot and a Big Question Mark.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhU6LaWDluw]

Then Devana opened up the classroom and let the kids play  for about 30-40 minutes while the adults worked on a craft. Lots of oohs and aahs. Some of the children were shy at first, but most lost no time in getting right in with the toys. I enjoyed watching the kids sweep and play house.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l5dsZEZ3H8]

The parents (remember, the craft activity keeps them out of the chidren’s hair) made the little felt finger puppet fishie that Devana had used during circle time. I believe that the pattern and rhyme came from a book called A Child’s Seasonal Treasury compiled and edited by Betty Jones. (If not, this book has many similar craft projects…) I was the assistant that day and so I was in the kitchen washing cutting fruits for the fruit salad snack during this time. Normally, this can be done near the children so they can watch and participate in the preparation of the fruit bowl.

Then as the play time came to a close (seemed like no time at all had passed), Devana led the children into cleaning up with the Dusty Gnome song. And then into the kitchen where we had a handwashing station set up with a handwashing song (when I say songs are simple, I’m serious – this song goes “Time to wash our hands… over and over again until all hands are washed.).

She led all the children to back to the table with a Welcome  song.  Again, the table kept empty until all the children were settled, so nobody would be tempted to reach for food or fiddle with things. We served fruit salad, quinoa, and water (in small glass bowls and glasses from Ikea).

Then the sweet non-denomational food blessing.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QzgDemdy3Y]

And we ate. As children finished they went outside with their parents to play. Devana mentioned that at the start of the year children always left lots of grain in their bowls, but as they got used to whole grains they would start devouring whole bowlfuls!

While the children played outside and parents supervised, Devana prepared the storytime. When she was ready, she sang the children in. Once the children were settled, she sang a short story verse (I found another that I like really well – and often people light a candle or ring a bell before a story).

The children were completely captivated by the simple and short “puppet” story Devana acted out with her Root children changing from their drab winter clothing to their spring flower clothing.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZfEgFur8xo]

Afterwards, there was a short playtime again. The children who wanted to were swung in a large blue cloth (a bedsheet) while we all sang Row, Row Your Boat.

Finally there was a closing circle with three standing songs and a goodbye (Who Will Come to My Wee Ring, The Earth Stands Firm, I Can Turn Myself and Goodbye Now) and a song to send the children out the door under a billowing rainbow cloth bridge (Rainbow Bridge Song).

Whew. A lot of singing! But it was amazingly effective and pleasant for the children -  instead of following spoken commands and adult directives all day, it felt like everything was fun and magical.

VERY INSPIRATIONAL. THANK YOU DEVANA!

Here is a link to the lyrics.

Posted in waldorf | 2 Comments