Burgoo - Good Maine Food?

So I was looking through my Good Maine Food cookbook, a Christmas present from my mother-in-law years ago, for a pie recipe she wants me to make for Thanksgiving. I have discovered over the years that the title of this book, the quality of the recipes in it, and the sanity of some Maine "cooks" are debatable. There are several pages I tore out completely after browsing through it for the first time simply because I didn't ever want to come across the recipes again. EVER EVER EVER.

While searching for the pie recipe, I came across the following recipe for burgoo, which makes me vomit slightly. I apparently missed it in my page-ripping tirade. My disgust is so great that I am sharing it with all of you. Should you decide to give this one a whirl, I'd love to hear your candid review. Mind you, this recipe is copied word for word from my cookbook. No creative license on my part. I particularly love the precise measurement of the "handful" of flour, and the use of the word "carcasses" - not something overly delightful to find in a gourmet dinner recipe. Hmmm... maybe I'll make some burgoo for Thanksgiving instead. A word of caution: Vegetarians, finicky eaters, and men who cry easily should not read any further. Bon Appetit!

Burgoo

6 gray squirrels
1 chicken
4 quarts water
1 slice salt pork
1 sliced onion
1 can tomatoes
1 can cream-style corn
1 can cooked yellow-eye beans
1 tablespoon salt
1 quart whole milk
1 handful flour

Skin gray squirrels and from hindquarters remove small sack which has a bitter taste. Boil squirrels and chicken in water 1 hour and remove all bones. Add pork, onion, tomatoes, corn, beans and seasoning and boil another hour. Just before serving, add flour dissolved in milk.

This is an old hunter's dish, and is as variable as the winds. Maine hunters use rabbit, porcupine, muskrat, woodchuck, big snapping turtles, venison, & bear meat as a base for burgoo. Some guides use skunk meat, which is said by those who have eaten it to be tender and delicious. In the spring, guides who have meat but no chicken for a burgoo will drift away from camp and later return with the carcasses of birds that look suspiciously like robins, blackbirds, yellowhammers, thrush or spruce partridges.



If this recipe freaks you out, just imagine what I actually tore out of this book...

Avoiding the deadly curse: Too much stuff

OK, so I've been cleaning. Really cleaning. Purging might even be a more correct description. And I am a pack rat. Certifiable. I just can't throw stuff away. Every now and then I get an urge to purge, if you will, and I'm currently in one of those phases. And I'm always amazed at what I find when I start digging - and at what I am compelled to save. This time I came across a scrap book from my time at MSU. In that scrapbook is a collection of articles clipped from the MSU paper, The State News, by my favorite student columnist: Glenn McDonald. I had a mad, mad journalistic crush on Glenn McDonald, and I couldn't wait to read his column. I thought I'd share it with all of you, because it still, to this day, resonates with me and all of my current stuff. I, too, attempted to get rid of a bunch of my stuff this summer - at a garage sale with a bunch of other friends from work. While I was successful on some level, much of the stuff still came home with me, along with some of the stuff everyone else was selling, because I thought it was cool. Somehow I don't think that's the point of participating in a garage sale - to come home with all the stuff your friends no longer want. But that's what I did.

So here it is, verbatim: I'm not trying to take any credit, because I'm not this clever. This is all Glenn McDonald, circa 1990-something. Wherever you are now, Glenn, I love you, man.

Avoiding the deadly curse: Too much stuff.

I have way too much stuff.

This realization is periodically hammered home when I move into a new place. Coming back to school, in particular, has become an annual ordeal of dispair. Nonetheless, every August, I  attempt to transport 46 cubic feet of matter that is My Stuff 76 miles from Detroit to Lansing in one trip. Kind of like the ancients crossing the Bering Strait, but not as fun.

The hell of it is, I made a sincere effort to get rid of a lot of things  this summer. Having become decidedly less sentimental since Jodie Foster refused my marriage proposal, I threw out boxes of personal tokens and remembrances - love letters, photo albums, Hoffa's remains - yet I'm still traveling barely lighter than Operation Restore Hope.

My problem is this: I seem to have this schizoid pack-rat mentality by which I can find several bizarre purposes for a completely disposable item.

For example, there's this little plastic Halloween skull I stole in 10th grade on a dare. For seven solid years now, I've been carting this thing around for the sole purpose of hollowing it out one day and using it as an ironic little ashtray. How lame is that? Seven long years for a gag I'll never get around to, and that isn't all that funny to begin with.

Then there's all this band equipment I've kept around since my days as a cool punk-rock guitarist. Nothing valuable or glamourous, mind you - stuff like used guitar strings and adapter cords and shoulder straps. Still, I'm convinced that one of these days I'll be at a club and Bob Dylan will show up for a surprise gig. And in his moment of need, I shall provide that gleaming e-string. And we will be pals.

So that's my problem. Thousands of useless items doomed to totally bogus destinies.

Not only do I have loads of stuff I can't use. In my four years of college, I've had a dozen or so different residences, so now I have stuff I can't use in places I can't remember. Now, on the surface, this situation would seem to resolve itself nicely. Not so.

See, I have a keen sense of karma, so I know that if I leave my stuff for someone else to deal with, within weeks I will somehow come into possession of a pile of strange new useless stuff. This stuff will be twice as mysterious, and twice as hard to get rid of.

So I feel obligated to keep track of all my distant stuff. Just this week, I got a call from (this is true) Albequerque, New Mexico, where I evidently have some stuff. Never mind that I've never even been west of the Mississippi, far less New Mexico. The fact is, an old roommate of mine recently moved there, only to discover some of my stuff had leeched onto her stuff. "Like barnacles to a manatee," was how she phrased it.

I told her not to panic, but it would probably be awhile before I could reclaim that stuff. In the meantime, I suggested that she conspicuously leave some of these things laying around the house. It's likely that the stuff will attach itself to someone else all by itself, effectively diffusing any future stuff-karma.

In addition to New Mexico, I also have little caches of stuff in Detroit, Chicago, Ann Arbor and an abandoned grain silo outside of Boston. (A long story). Naturally, I'm also responsible for countless territorial pissings of stuff right here in East Lansing.

In fact, if you check your basements and closets right now,  you're bound to find a few of my things. Of course, I also have some of your stuff, no doubt, so in the spirit of reconciliation I hereby declare a campus-wide amnesty on stuff. You deal with mine, I'll deal with yours, and we'll call it even, OK?

Unless you're the swindler who nicked my Trip Shakespeare disc at last year's Halloween party. You can drop that off at the State News offices, no questions asked.

Kyle

I went down to the beach this morning to tighten everything up before Kyle gets here later this afternoon. It's been a long time since we've had any kind of tropical action up here, but we're overdue. It's been 17 years since Hurricane Bob. It's not supposed to be too bad in our location, as the storm is supposed to make landfall in the Maritimes, up near the Maine/Nova Scotia border - but I didn't want to take any chances at the house. My father would never forgive me if we ended up with large granite boulders in the living room because I didn't put up the storm shutters...

The surf was already kicking up, and the tide was in so it was higher than usual. The boats down in the cove are all moored together, and fisherman up and down the coast are headed for safe harbor. It was foggy at the beach - but beautiful. There are days down there where you can really just smell the ocean and the salty coastal air. Today is one of them. I expect the storm surge will have surfers in the water this afternoon.

The drive back from the beach was just as beautiful - one of my favorite spots to be this time of year is on the road from the beach driving inland, through the marshy tidal areas. The marsh is full because the tide is high, and is teeming with birds - egrets, geese, great blue herons. It's actually part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge - and you'll occasionally see deer grazing off in the distance.

But just on the other side of the marsh is a solid line of northern hardwoods - maples and oaks, mostly - and right now the colors are starting to blaze. I love to drive this road on a crisp, clear fall day when the colors are jewel-like and just explode in contrast with the green marsh grasses and sandy dunes. Today the fog nearly blocked the color - but not completely. The colors were dulled a little, but were peeking through the fog here and there. It was beautiful in it's own rite. I hope the winds stay offshore so the leaves stay intact through the peak of foliage season.

I stopped at the local farm store on the way home - one owned by the same people I spent my college summers working for out here. It's a different store in a different location, but the feel is the same. I love that I can go in there and say, "Rick, I need a dozen eggs" and he'll say, "McCormick's down in the coop right now" and he'll call McCormick and in 10 minutes I'll have a dozen eggs fresh from the coop. I picked up a bag of apples (I just love local apples here) and some cider. Driving down our road on the way home I had to stop and wait for a flock of turkeys to clear out of the road - they seem to be everywhere right now. Not a particularly bright bird, but they are so cool-looking - almost prehistoric.

So now I'm ready to settle in for the day. Hopefully I catch some NFL before the lights go out.

Stream of Consciousness

Every once and awhile I get the urge to write - sometimes poems, sometimes just a journal, but usually about some aspect of my life - whether it's an observation, something a friend is dealing with, or something I've experienced personally. Thought I'd share them here from time to time. Shut up, Eric - don't make fun... or you'll be my next subject. Russell Brussell Fat Lard Fruitcake Moron Reject Speedstick No-spit Spicer would make a really good title.


I Do Love You

"I do love you"
you wrote.
And I wanted to believe you.
"I do love you,"
you wrote,
"but…"
you loved the
tall, bony girl
with the shiny face
and frizzy hair
more.
The ugly girl
with the toxic smile,
empty gaze and cool clothes,
the one who ate sushi
and stole your heart.
"I do love you…"
you wrote.
But you lied.


Tonight

Tonight I wish for sleep to come
quickly, long and quiet this stretch of night,
devoid of wild imaginings that
dream themselves into being -
For my bones are tired, and my eyes heavy
with the weight of another day,
weary and restless in the fading light
of a silver moon.

America - Pay Attention!

It may be Saturday Night Live, but it's no joke. Your republican VP candidate does NOT know what the Bush Doctrine is. If you haven't seen her recent interview with Charlie Gibson, make a point to. Do not jump on the Sarah Palin bandwagon just because you think she has great glasses. Pay attention to what she has to say - or, rather, her lack of understanding about what she's talking about. Tina Fey nailed this one - now, America - please pay attention.

Dogtown - The Michael Vick Dogs

To any of you who may have contributed to Best Friends Animal Society last year in honor of our memorial hike, and who may be wondering what Best Friends actually does with that money, here's a great opportunity to find out.  Earlier this year, Best Friends was awarded custody of 22 of the Michael Vick dogs (more than any other rescue organization in the country), and the staff is currently in the process of rehabilitating these dogs at the sanctuary in Utah.

National Geographic Channel is running a new episode of Dogtown (which is a series about the work being done at Best Friends) on Friday, September 5th at 9 pm which deals exclusively with the Michael Vick dogs and the work that is being done with them to make them whole again. Best Friends was one of the only organizations that fought to keep these animals from being destroyed, and they have built a special compound at the sanctuary just for these special dogs. It's a fabulous story - I hope you'll watch! 

i am i - and this is why

On Facebook I have this handy little application that tells you your daily horoscope. Well today I had it create a nifty natal chart for me, based on my day, year and time of birth. And it automatically tells you, astrologically, everything about you based on how the planets were aligned when you were born. Now I typically only read horoscopes for fun, and only on occasion. While this isn't 100-percent accurate, it is pretty damn close. Like scary close. So for all of you who are wondering why I'm the way I am, here it is. In black and white!


Planetary Positions at Birth
Sun: 02º 02' in Cancer
Moon: 00º 06' in Aries
Mercury: 27º 08' in Cancer
Venus: 21º 51' in Cancer
Mars: 01º 50' in Aries
Jupiter: 11º 09' in Aquarius
Saturn: 25º 19' in Gemini
Uranus: 18º 53' in Libra
Neptune: 05º 18' in Sagittarius
Pluto: 01º 40' in Libra
Aspects
Conjunction: Mercury Venus 5º
Conjunction: Moon Mars 1º
Conjunction: Sun Saturn 6º
Opposition: Mars Pluto 0º
Opposition: Moon Pluto 1º
Semi-Sextile: Mercury Saturn 1º
Sextile: Mercury Pluto 4º
Sextile: Neptune Pluto 3º
Square: Moon Saturn 4º
Square: Sun Mars 0º
Square: Sun Moon 1º
Square: Sun Pluto 0º
Square: Venus Uranus 2º
Trine: Mars Neptune 3º
Trine: Mercury Mars 4º
Trine: Moon Mercury 2º
Trine: Moon Neptune 5º
Trine: Saturn Uranus 6º

The Sun in Cancer
The Sun and its place on your chart are the most important information astrology can provide you with. Your most powerful energies and force-of-will are denoted by the Sun's position.

Traits: Emotional, Loving, Intuitive, Imaginative, Shrewd, Cautious, Protective and Sympathetic

Dark Traits: Changeable, Moody, Overemotional, Touchy, Clinging and Unable To Let Go

You were born during a period when the Sun was in Cancer. The Cancer's first love is its home and family. They love to nurture those around them. No sacrifice is too large to ensure their home is secure and their loved ones are safe and happy. They are very kind and sharing. Cancers are also very moody, and often retreat into themselves to regenerate, or sometimes sulk. The quickest way for them to rebound from such moments is to do what they do best: nurture others.

Cancers can be very iron-willed and like to have things their way. They are very sensitive to slights and hurt easily. When pained Cancers will retreat into themselves and brood. Although generally they do not like confrontation, Cancers are not above seeking revenge against those that hurt them. Cancers are compassionate and freely show their affection for others. They will set their problems aside to assist others in solving theirs. Being extremely intuitive, they often know what is upsetting someone without being told. They are great communicators and can often help those in trouble with just a few words.

Overall, Cancers are quite gregarious. They love to socialize with their friends and family. Their need to care for those in their circle makes them an asset to any family.

Sun Opposition or Square Moon
You feel your wants and desires are pulling you in different directions. For instance you may need to express your individuality to the maximum, but you desire a warm, loving relationship and the security of strong camaraderie. This dichotomy makes it difficult for those around you to tell what you want.

Sun Conjunct Saturn
You tend to move down your life path with caution. Because of this reaching your goals will require more staying power than others will need. Fortunately you are full or self-discipline. You may lack the confidence to realize all of your ambitions.

Moon In Aries
The placement of the Moon on your chart denotes a region of life you travel through based upon your instincts. The Moon's placement often points to emotional issues we must address.

You have the Arian trait of speaking bluntly and meaning exactly what you say. You conceal your weaknesses and personal needs from others very well. At times you can be quite emotional and even display a temper that borders on having a tantrum. The expectations you put on yourself and others may be a bit unrealistic. You prefer to take action, and have no tolerance for whiners.

Your Arian courage and love of challenges makes you a role model to others. Through your courage they find theirs. You are optimistic and believe all obstacles can be overcome. You admire others who display bravery and share your need for freedom and adventure. Indeed you are not likely to spend much time in the company of wimps. Taking role of leader should feel very comfortable to you, but you need to try not to be too domineering.

Moon Sextile or Trine Mercury
You seem to instinctively understand people and why individuals behave the way they do. Being nonjudgmental and empathetic makes it easy for those around you to "tell all." You love to share your knowledge and insight, but don't force your views on others.

Moon Conjunct Mars
You cannot handle idle moments. They drive you nuts. You must have something to do at all times. You are somewhat aggressive, which may cause trouble at home.

Moon Opposition or Square Saturn
You have moments of serious self-doubt. To you it sometimes seems who you are just isn't enough. Your inability to see your intrinsic value makes you hypersensitive to the criticisms of others. While you want to be a part of the human experience around you, fear or rejection makes it difficult for you make a place for yourself amongst a group of people. Instead you tend to retreat into yourself where it is lonely but safe.

Moon Sextile or Trine Neptune
Chaos and confusion upset you terribly. Where others might see opportunity in upheaval you see despair. You have a need to live in a peaceful setting insulated from the harsher elements of our world.

Moon Opposition or Square Pluto
Your romantic relationships are marked by such a large outpouring of emotion and passion that they may actually scare your partner. Love always has a sense of urgency for you. It is practically impossible for you to just let things happen and enjoy the ride.

Mercury In Cancer
The position of Mercury on your chart will give you insight into how you communicate with others and learn.

Often your decisions and opinions are based on your feelings and not the facts, which makes you somewhat dogmatic. Sometimes it is difficult for you to think rationally because your emotions have such a free rein.

You tend to over-romanticize the past. You long for a kinder, gentler time when everything was as it should be. Unfortunately that time never really existed. You tend to be so nostalgic that you often fail to see all that is good about the here and now.

You are not comfortable in a crowd and dread the thought of being the center of attention. While you do have opinions on everything you rarely express them for fear of being attacked. Your emotional self cannot take much rough handling. When you do express your views and find that others hold opinions different than yours, you are likely to retreat into yourself for fear of being verbally attacked.

Mercury Conjunct Venus
You have a love of the arts and innate sense of style. Your creativity makes you a natural to pursue a career in the arts. Unlike many with a talent for the arts you do well in social settings. Your charm and sense of humor make you attractive to a wide variety of people..

Mercury Sextile or Trine Pluto
You are enthralled by hidden truths. You love to "uncover" the truth. Your mind is strong enough to allow you to explore the inner-core of consciousness. You probably are attracted to the mysterious and occult.

Venus In Cancer
Where Venus appears on your chart will provide you with information on how you relate to others on an emotional level.

There is nothing you won't do for your love partner. You physical expression of your love is both affectionate and passionate. You prefer sophisticated people who have a great depth of character and charm. You may also be attracted to more flamboyant types. Someone who always dresses well will impress you.

Venus Opposition or Square Uranus
About the only thing you do quicker than falling in love is falling out of love. Your affairs of the heart tend to begin with massive amounts of unrestrained passion, but this high state of energy ends quickly and boredom sets in. Also your need for personal freedom quickly makes any traditional relationship feel a bit oppressive.

Mars In Aries
Mars is the planet of action. Its placement on your chart will indicate your level of aggression and competitiveness.

You are a person of action. You want to get things done and get them done now. You'e not one to wait for all the facts to come in before tackling a project or problem. You don't simply take on a task, you attack it.

When you have a goal to reach you don't wait to receive assistance from others. Because you are extremely self-sufficient and feel as though you should always be the leader, people who wait around for reinforcements or provide unsolicited advice infuriate you. When working with others you are not particularly cooperative or willing to compromise. To you your way is the only way.

Although you are not the easiest person to work with and your need to act sometimes actually slows you down, your bravado and raw determination will get things moving in the right direction. You do best with situations that do not require a long term investment of your energies. You need to see results quickly to keep your interest peaked by a project.

Mars Sextile or Trine Neptune
Although you are quite an idealist you do manage to apply your lofty ideas to the real world in a useful way. You will do best in the arts or some other occupation where you can beautify our world.

Mars Opposition or Square Pluto
Your strength of will is enormous and you are passionate about attaining your goals. You may become so focused on a goal that you lose perspective on life as a whole. You tend to be secretive about your true aspirations. Those working with you may not know exactly why they are doing what they are doing.

Jupiter In Aquarius
Jupiter deals with where the Universe is definitely on your side.

You thrive on being on the cutting edge of things. You don't allow yourself to be anchored down by traditional thinking or behavior models. You have a genuine concern for the plight of humanity, and are perfectly suited for paving new roads down which the rest of us can find better lives.

Saturn In Gemini
You harbor self-doubts concerning your intelligence. Social spontaneity is likely to be very difficult for you.

Saturn Sextile or Trine Uranus
You have the ability to bring innovation to projects. You understand that new ideas need to have practical applications to justify there use, so you waste little time with the superfluous.

Neptune In Sagittarius
Because of distance Neptune is from the Sun, its astrological influence is generally measured in increments of 14 years. What this means is that the effects of Neptune will influence an entire generation in a like manner. Neptune is the Astrological Wildcard. The area in which Neptune appears on your chart is a place where there are no rules. Anything can happen.

You are member of a generation of dreamers and purveyors of the future. You and your contemporaries are very broad-minded and thrive on new forms of spirituality. Traditional religions are far too dogmatic to serve you well, so you are very likely to explore alternative routes to find your spiritual self.

Neptune Trine Pluto
You were born in a period when there was an underlying current of spiritual awareness prevailed. Collectively your generation has a desire to increase the depths of their spiritual self.


More About Cancer
Famous Cancers:
Bill Cosby, Henry VIII, Princess Diana, Mike Tyson, Julius Caesar, Nelson Mandela, Rembrandt, H. Ross Perot, Dan Aykroyd, Geraldo Rivera, Ringo, Buckminster Fuller, Alexander the Great, Estée Lauder, and Marshall McLuhan
Ideal Occupations:
Cancers are well-suited to be doctors, pharmacists, teachers, nutritionists, chefs, realtors -- any position in which they can feel truly useful.

Lucky Numbers: 4, 13, 22, 31, 40, 48, 57

Cancers Are Usually Most Compatible With: Scorpio or Pisces

Planet: The Moon

Element: Water

Star Stone: Pearl

The High Horse and The Low Road

Yep, that pretty much sums it up...

Secret Agent Man

Be still my heart, the X-Files are back. Ladies, the truth is out there. And the truth is: David Duchovny is HOT. Hot, tasty X-Files goodness.




i-chihuahaua!

Mooses on the Looses

Thanks to M for the link to this awesome clip. I guess fun is where you find it, no matter what species you are...

http://www.maniacworld.com/twin-baby-moose-in-sprinkler.html

Balance This

I love the Olympics. Summer and Winter. But I'm biased, because I used to be a gymnast. A young, starry-eyed gymnast who dreamt of being the next Nadia or Mary Lou. The women's gymnastics are always my favorite, and this year is no different. These girls are amazing. What they can do on the floor with their tumbling is incredible. What they can do on the balance beam defies logic. Take it from someone who knows how hard it is to just do a damn somersault on that 4-inch-wide piece of wood without going ass over teakettle. Never mind the chaffing you get from the beam. It's like a four-foot fall to the floor!

Here are two routines - by Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin - from earlier competitions. They're the same routines they performed in Beijing. When you're finished watching, pick your jaw up off the floor. To give you an idea of just how far gymnastics has come, and how much the difficulty has increased, check out the video of Nadia Comaneci's gold medal winning beam performance from 1976 below. Something tells me these girls were doing that routine when they were ten or eleven years old.

Enjoy!

Nastia Liukin on Balance Beam




Shawn Johnson on Balance Beam



Or you can watch the video in high quality on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qQq9lhNwHA and click the"watch in high quality" link in the Rating block, below "Views".

Nadia's 1976 Gold Medal Beam Routine

Brady, Moss and an Ice Cold Bruschi

Finally! Pre-Season, and the Kings of Gillette are back on the field. It's a beautiful day to be a New England fan. The video and song are a few years old, before a certain place kicker became a stupid COLT, (sorry, Adam - but the COLTS? That's borderline traitorous...) and not all the players mentioned are still Patriots, but I still love it, and I loves my Pats.

Peyton who?

Did you say something?

I'm ignoring you. You know who you are. 

MRI - FYA

So, tonight I had my first MRI.

My doc took pity and sent me to an "open" MRI (I use the quotations because, if any of you have ever had an "open" MRI, you know this term is used loosely). Why open? Because I am psychotic and would totally FREAK OUT otherwise. So I got the "open" one. Whatever. You're still stuck in a tube.

We stopped and got a coffee for the ride, which was ridiculously stupid because I ended up peeing like 5 times while I was waiting, because I was afraid I'd have to pee once I got in the machine, and I was all fidgity and nervous. Which of course made me have to pee even more. AND I was told my tattoos might get a little warm inside the machine... What? WHY? Why would that be?

And why is it that when somebody tells you "OK, now DON'T MOVE. You can't move at all... do your very best to stay completely still; this will take about 20 minutes" all you want to do for the next 20 minutes is move? Everything twitches involuntarily, and you can't think about anything else BUT moving, and how totally uncomfortable you are being stuck inside a loud, banging, claustrophobic tube. It's all consuming. My Tube Time literally went something like this: 

- Oh, God, don't move. I can't move. I just moved. Are we going to have to do this sequence again? Oh, no - I can't do that; can't stay here that long. Close your eyes. Don't move, damn it - DON'T MOVE. Damn it, my foot just twitched. Did they see that? Oh, shit - there it goes again. God, WHY can't I stop twitching? How hard can it be to just stay still? OK, breathe. Relax. What? TWO more sequences to go? Oh, I'll never make it - I'm glad I peed like 14 times before I came in here. Maybe I shouldn't have peed. If I had to pee, I'd be thinking about how much I had to pee instead of about how hard it is not to move. Is that Van Halen I'm listening to? What? A double shot? Oh yeah - it's Two-fer Tuesday. Shit. David Lee Roth. Twice. Could be worse - it could be Barry Manilow. Actually, Copa Cabana would be kind of entertaining. Why am I getting so warm? Oh - right - the tattoos. They're bubbling under my skin. Bang. Rattle. Bang. Rattle. Whir. Whir. Whir. Wow - it's really loud. At least I can't hear the crappy Van Halen. Twitch. Shit - there it goes again...

And that, my friends, was my MRI, in a nutshell. Aren't you glad you tuned in?

Expecto Patronum

Apparently, my addiction to Harry Potter knows no bounds...

My hidden Harry Potter Patronus is: Unicorn

Reveal Your Ridden Harry-Pottery Patronus today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

Weekend Fun

We spent most of the weekend at the beach, relaxing and soaking up the sun. Here are a few photos of the mayhem:

What a face. What a ham!

Not as good as K's glamour shots, but still cute...

splish splash! She was SO wet and sandy after this...

peek!

We also have a couple of new shots of Bodie, who is now 15 weeks old and 30+ pounds. We'll never get tired of fur-baby photos, so get used to 'em!

A rare moment of cooperation...

A rare moment of cuddles...

Tomorrow we're off to Storyland with L, so I'll hopefully have plenty of fun photos - as long as we don't have Cranky Child tomorrow! We're overdue, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

Konnichiwa

This is a fun little language tool... find out what your Japanese name is!

My authentic japanese name is 飯野 Iino (rice plains) 久美子 Kumiko (eternal beautiful child).
Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

'Nuff Said.

Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

Messy Situation

Why is it that things like coffee stains and spaghetti sauce always seem to find their way to a prominent spot on a white shirt?

Ticks Suck.

Literally. Figuratively. However you want to look at it. Ticks suck. In more ways than you can possibly imagine. Unless, like me, you're unlucky enough to have become intimately acquainted with the creepy-crawly little parasites and the plethora of nasties that they carry. Then you have plenty of frightening thoughts with which your imagination can run wild. Living with Lyme Disease is one thing. I've come to accept the fact that I live in a Hot Zone and will have to forever choose between having toxic chemicals sprayed on my property 4 times each summer, and the filthy little blood-sucking bastards that carry any number of hideous and nasty diseases. I understand that I will most likely be taking weirdly-named Chinese herbs for an unspecified amount of time without ever truly having a way of knowing whether or not the Lyme has been obliterated. I accept that it's causing black holes in my brain that words and numbers and thoughts are getting sucked into on a daily basis, never to be heard from again. OK. That's one thing. But now, it would appear, I may also have a raging case of Babesiosis. Or, as I call it, somewhat jokingly, The Babes.

Of course, it's not really a case of the Babes. Hardly. That's not something I've ever REALLY been accused of being. Far from it. It isn't pronounced BABES-ee-O-sis (although I think it's funnier that way). It's Buh-BEE-see-O-sis. (I wonder if "Oh-BEE-see-O-sis" is also confirmed medical condition? Because I also have THAT). And, as luck would have it, it's potentially fatal. Well, fabulous!

Now, how would one go about finding out if one actually has a dreaded case of the Babes? Well, let me tell you. It involves an additional $250 blood test (different than the one for Lyme) at another independent laboratory that the Super Duper Insurance Company will not cover. And, if it turns out that yes, indeed, you do have a raging case of the Babes, well, Babesia is a protozoan, not a spirochete, so your original dose of Lyme drugs wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't kill it. So... you guessed it. You also need another round of antibiotics. As if four months of the stuff followed by 6 months of EXTREMELY expensive Chinese herbal supplements (also not covered by said SDIC) weren't enough. Come on. My birth control has been screwed up for MONTHS already.

If you take any advice from this at all, all joking aside: if you live ANYWHERE in northern New England, from Maine to Connecticut, or even Rhode Island, (or anywhere with ticks, for that matter) and you get bit by a tick, pluck it out, keep it, and take it to a LYME LITERATE doctor. If you can't find one, take it to a vet. They will be able to tell you if it's a deer tick or a dog tick. Deer ticks are the ones that carry Lyme, but dog ticks carry Babesiosis and Erlichia as well as other creepy diseases that are difficult to diagnose. Get treated if you need to. Don't mess around with it. Don't take it if the doctor blows you off. INSIST you get tested. Your best shot is to catch it early and treat it quickly.

And DON'T let them tell you there's no need to worry because there aren't ticks in your area. Bullshit. If you have deer, you probably have ticks. Period. End of story. And if you have bird feeders, then you have chipmunks and mice and squirrels who are like giant, furry charter buses bringing them right to your front door free of charge. Don't feed your birds in the summer. And understand that nymph ticks, which are just as capable of transmitting disease as adult ticks, can be no bigger than a speck of sand or the tip of a sharpened pencil. And that bulls-eye rash they talk about as being a tell-tale sign of Lyme infection? Don't count on it. A lot of people don't get one, or don't see it if they get bit in an inconspicuous area like the hairline or the back of the leg. I didn't have one. Neither did Mark. If you're in long grass or the woods, check yourself, check everyone else, and do it often. If you're in a Hot Zone like me, check yourself every time you go outside. I picked up a tick in my brother-in-law's gravel driveway a couple of weeks ago. One bite is all it takes.

I told you. Ticks SUCK.

I Am the World

After a trip to Hello, Melissa's blog and taking a walk back in time to her 2006 blogs, I discovered this little test that determines what type of tarot card a person is based on answers to a series of questions. M is the High Priestess. I am, apparently, The World. What are you? (The cervix through which everything is born? Eew!)

You are the World

Completion, Good Reward.

The World is the final card of the Major Arcana, and as such represents saturnian energies, time, and completion.

The World card pictures a dancer in a Yoni (sometimes made of laurel leaves). The Yoni symbolizes the great Mother, the cervix through which everything is born, and also the doorway to the next life after death. It is indicative of a complete circle. Everything is finally coming together, successfully and at last. You will get that Ph.D. you've been working for years to complete, graduate at long last, marry after a long engagement, or finish that huge project. This card is not for little ends, but for big ones, important ones, ones that come with well earned cheers and acknowledgements. Your hard work, knowledge, wisdom, patience, etc, will absolutely pay-off; you've done everything right.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

The Long and Winding Road

This is the journal entry from our first day on the trail. The first entry appears below this one.

9/2/07 - Day 1!

Mileage: 8.6

Starting Elevation: 9200 feet

Highest Elevation: 11,875 feet

Ending Elevation: around 8600 feet

The day started early - up at 6, breakfast at the motel by 7:30. H & P had a home-cooked meal waiting for us, then P drove us to the Onion Valley Trailhead around 8:15. We finished packing all of our gear last night - we shipped a ton of it ahead so we didn't have to check it on the plane, and it was patiently waiting for us in our rooms when we arrived. We were on trail by 8:45 - the parking lot was completely full. Lots of day hikers. The weather forecast for the week is fabulous - not a drop of rain in sight. Not a cloud in the sky, which meant it was HOT. Don't know the temp, but the sun was unrelenting. There isn't much shade on a good portion of the trail, so we savored every little bit we could find. The packs were heavy, and so were our feet. Needless to say, progress was slow - about a mile an hour from the trailhead to Kearsarge Pass. About an hour or so into the hike, we were fairly discouraged to discover we still had a perfect view of the parking lot.

Start of the Kearsarge Pass Trail at Onion Valley

However, we continued to plug along at our snail's pace, feeling the elevation almost immediately. The trailhead sits at 9200 feet, and it's a steady gain to the pass at 11,875. For a couple of flatlanders from sea level, this causes a problem. We were definitely sucking wind. The trail itself though is fantastic - mostly a well-worn dirt path. Certainly nothing like the boulder-strewn, root-infested, ankle-twisting, knee-crushing "you call this a trail?" trails of the northeast. It was hot - so hot - but it was hard to pay any mind at all to the temperature with the scenery that we were blessed with along the way. It's like nothing we've ever seen before. The trail passes several alpine lakes that are just as blue as can be. We stopped at Heart Lake for lunch, which is, fittingly, shaped just like a heart. We were treated to a fun little demonstration of the altitude, as a woman we were chatting with pulled out a bag of Whoppers that was nearly bursting at it's seams due to the change in air pressure.

Mark on the trail up to Kearsarge Pass, near Heart Lake

Just part of the scenery!

Above Heart Lake, we climbed a few switchbacks and popped up over a rocky lip and for the first time saw Kearsarge Pass. And kind of said, "Oh, shit." This was around 11,000 feet, and we were really starting to feel the elevation at this point. There was no shade from this point on, and it was a very discouraging vantage point. We could see the pass, and just barely make out the long, winding switchbacks that climbed steadily up to the pass. The switchbacks are long and completely exposed. And on those switchbacks were teeny tiny little dots advancing like little ants - the people ahead of us on the trail that were rightly kicking our butts. We huffed and puffed and huffed and puffed and stopped and ate and drank all the way up the last 875 feet. I had to stop once due to dizziness, but we finally, FINALLY made it. And I have no words to describe the view that awaited us when we walked up over that pass. It just opened up into tall, rocky spires, blue lakes and green valleys. It was perfectly clear, and the Kearsarge Pinnacles were just gorgeous. We could see where we had to go - all the way down to Bullfrog Lake. We stopped at the top and took in the views. We ate some cheese and crackers, and ran into a couple from the Mt. Williamson Motel that we had seen at breakfast.

View toward Kearsarge Pass 

View of Kearsarge Pinnacles, Kearsarge Lakes and Bullfrog Lake (in the distance)

from Kearsarge Pass

After a much needed rest, we left the day hikers at the pass and headed down into the valley, thankful for some downhill action. This portion went relatively quickly because the trail was in great shape and we were psyched to be in new territory. Mark wasn't feeling well at this point - he had a headache, and the cheese and crackers made him sick. I don't think he kept hydrated enough - and the sun plus the altitude just pummeled him. We had a little trail confusion down near the lakes, but managed to muddle through and finally made it to Bullfrog Lake, where we stopped to refill our water supply. We had some pretty nasty looking clouds roll in while at the lake (no camping allowed here), and thought we might get a storm but it blew right past.

View from Bullfrog Lake

After filling up our water we continued on the trail toward the JMT junction, then headed south. We stopped when we came out to an overlook of Vidette Meadows and took some video and pictures. From there it was 1.2 miles to Lower Vidette where we are camped now, approximately 7 miles from Forester Pass. Tomorrow will be very tough - even more so than today. Mark is lying down in the tent, trying to get rid of his headache. I feel fine. I have a headache, but it's from hunger. I'm STARVED. Shepherd's pie for dinner tonight. We can have a camp fire here, because it's below 10,000 feet, but it will be our last chance for one on the trail. So tonight we're toasting marshmallows! Then everything in the bear canisters. No rain fly tonight - clear skies, millions of stars. The stupid satellite phone won't work - I can't get a signal here. How great is that? It's absolutely beautiful out here. I feel much better about this after today. I was very apprehensive. Tomorrow will take us up over 13,000 feet so elevation will definitely be a factor. No wildlife to speak of yet - just chipmunks and birds.

Taking a break above Vidette Meadows

Just For Fun

While I have some free time, I thought I'd post some entries from the journal I kept while hiking in the Sierras last September. I've been meaning to get them transferred from paper to the Land of Digital, but it hasn't happened until now. Hope you enjoy reading about our trip, and seeing some of the photos that correspond to what's written.

8/31/07 - 9/1/07

Our flight was delayed in Cleveland, so we didn't get to the hotel until 1 am Vegas time - 4 am East Coast Time. Note to self: Don't EVER stay at the Sahara, ever, ever again. It's one of the cheapest on the strip for a reason. Talk about your typical seedy, smoke-filled, Vegas cheese-fest. The lights in the room didn't work, which was probably a good thing - it prevented us from seeing just how awful the room actually was. But we didn't care - we were exhausted. Afraid of what was lurking under the covers, I opted to sleep on top of the bed. Until I came to the conclusion that the sheets were more likely to be washed than the cover. So I reluctantly crawled in and crashed.

We were up early, though - 7 am. Called my mom to let her know we were OK, and headed to the buffet breakfast at the hotel which stayed with us most of the day. Hopped in the rental car and were on the road by 9:30 am. We have a blue Subaru Outback which is brand new and awesome. It was already hot in Vegas. I don't think it's ever NOT hot in Vegas. It was hot at 1 am when we got there. We cruised south on the strip to check things out and then hit 160 west toward the mountains and Death Valley. What an incredible drive. "Watch for burros and wild horses in roadway." That's not a sign you see in northern New England! Nope - in Maine it's a yellow sign with a big picture of a moose on it... No words, just a picture of something you don't want to be unlucky enough to run into at 70 miles an hour. But I think our favorite sign was the one for the Death Valley Health Center. Delightfully ironic.

We couldn't get over the scenery. Mountains upon mountains, miles and miles of... nothing. No buildings, no towns, no rescue. Neither Mark nor I have been out this way before, so this is totally new to us. Death Valley was wild - incredibly beautiful, incredibly brutal. It's hard to believe that it is a place where wildflowers flourish in the spring. It's hard to imagine anything surviving there. Our temp topped out at 114 degrees at an altitude of -190. Ironically, the signs warn you to turn off the AC to avoid overheating. Us, or the car? Tanks of radiator water are plentiful in the area.

We stopped at Zabriskie Point for the obligatory touristy photo-op and then headed to Furnace Creek Ranch for lunch at the Corkscrew Saloon. A frosty Sam Adams and a sandwich totally hit the spot. Dave, the bartender, chatted our ears off and drew us several fine napkin maps of the local secrets and cool views that the "tourists" don't know about. We thanked him profusely, and promptly decided that we weren't up for an hour and a half hike in 114 degree heat. And yeah - the "it's a dry heat" thing? It's a crock.

Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park

We swung into the little general store after lunch and bought ice cream sandwiches which literally melted all over us before we could get to the car. Back on the road, we headed west past the only actual sand dunes in the park, and eventually caught our first breathtaking glimpse of the Eastern Sierras. WOW. It's like a huge wall of rock that rises straight out of the desert floor. We rolled into Lone Pine at about 3:30 and stopped at the ranger station to pick up our permits - were told of an active bear in the Wallace Creek area and were advised to steer clear. It was also recommended that we not leave our vehicle at Whitney Portal, which we had planned to do - apparently the bears have taken to tearing apart cars at random - not just because they've discovered a tasty morsel. So, the very nice folks at the Mt. Williamson Motel are graciously letting us leave our car here for the week. Paul, one of the owners, will be our ride to the trailhead, so we'll give him a jingle when we come off trail and he'll come pick us up. Perfect! The Onion Valley Trailhead, our starting point, is here in Independence, which is about 24 road miles north of Lone Pine. The Mt. Williamson Motel is just a hop and a skip from the road to the trailhead - but it's around 15 miles and 5,000 feet of elevation gain to get there. We'll drive up there in the morning to check out conditions at the starting line.

Our home away from home - Cottage No. 5!

Sunrise - alpenglow on Mt. Williamson as seen from our motel

Independence and Lone Pine are small, sleepy towns - but the people are wonderfully warm and welcoming. The views here are to die for. We drove up to Whitney Portal tonight to check things out - got our first close-up of the mountain itself. Photos can't do it justice - it is imposing, and it's distinct profile can't be missed. I can't believe in just two days we'll be hoofing it towards the top. The Portal is just over 8,300 feet - and we could really feel the elevation. Back in Lone Pine it was HOT - well into the 90s. At the Portal it was around 70 - a huge temperature difference. Lots of people there - camping, fishing, hanging out. The drive up to the Portal is an adventure in itself - that a road was actually built out here is an amazing feat. This is going to be an incredible hike.

Mt. Whitney from Whitney Portal Road

Cake is for Wussies

Yesterday was Mark's birthday, and we spent Friday night at the beach with my mom to celebrate. Our Fourth of July celebration consisted of pizza, beer, and front row seats to a tented, catered party in the yard next door complete with lobster, a campfire and patriotic songs. By nine o'clock, the festivities were in full swing with loud and terrifically off-key renditions of "Dinah Blow Your Horn" and "Glory, Glory Halleluiah." Groan. Double groan. I couldn't drink enough to drown out the horror.

No fireworks this year. Patriots in New England? HA!. See, we have Piping Plovers on our beaches. Piping Plovers are endangered. Fireworks bring crowds. Crowds frighten Piping Plovers. So the towns have decided that a twenty-minute fireworks display ON A BARGE, IN THE OCEAN will equal the extinction of the piping plover due to the crowds that will converge on the beach. Now, don't get me wrong. I am all for conservation and saving a cute little bird who is on it's last legs on the planet. Seriously. I don't want that to sound glib and insincere. Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge supporter of environmental and wildlife causes. What I don't like is the bullshit that's fed to everyone by the towns. If protecting the Piping Plover were really the top priority, they would be closing the beaches permanently, all day, every day. But they don't do that. There are crowds by the thousands on the beaches every single day, with unleashed dogs and unruly children - both serious dangers to the Piping Plover. But, alas, these hordes of people are the Wealthy from Away, bringing their coveted recession-proof bank books with them to their McMansions on the coast, so we can't possibly keep them from going to the beach now, can we? So cut the bull. If you're going to save the Plover, save the Plover. Don't just use it as a crutch to get out of spending a little cash on your country's Independence Day celebration. Many thanks to the raucous few who braved being taken down by the two-wheeled beach cops on their expensive Gary Fisher mountain bikes (frivolously bought with taxpayer money) by smuggling some top-shelf Chinese contraband into the state and providing some semblance of a display on the beach. You are the true patriots!

There. That feels better. Sorry for the tirade - it's been annoying me. AND I've completely gotten off the subject. Mark's birthday. Well, he decided he didn't want a traditional birthday cake this year - he wanted a giant whoopie pie. An enormous, FIVE POUND whoopie pie. Apparently, cake is for wussies. And, apparently, whoopie pies do not count as cake. They are not called whoopie cakes. They are whoopie pies. Pie is not the same as cake. I about died when it arrived and we took it out of the box. Here's a peek at how ginormous this thing actually was.

We ordered it from a company right here in Maine that makes these "little" gems, so if you're interested it's www.wickedwhoopie.com. It's pretty insane, but they're insanely good. And insanely bad - for your waistline and overall health, anyway...  YUM. Sometimes it's SO good to be bad. 

And yes, Hurricane Bodie is still going strong. My house is an obstacle course of dismembered and disembodied toys, chewed up shoes, shredded magazines and the like. At the moment, every last toy that was in his toy basket is strewn all over the floor, the basket is tipped on it's side, and he's SLEEPING (thankfully) behind it. Here are a couple of new photos of the little beast!

Kota is doing well, too. Sort of. He is still doing everything in his power to avoid Bodie. Avoid, ignore, dismiss, whatever you want to call it. It's like putting your fingers in  your ears, closing your eyes, saying "la la la la" and praying that when you open your eyes whatever was there is gone and was only a horrifying figment of your imagination. Sorry, Kota. We love you, we really do...

WTF?

On any given day, at any given time, there are any number of things that can make me stop and say "WTF?" These are some of those things.

I broke my glasses a couple of weeks ago - the frame broke at the nose bridge, and wouldn't hold the lens. I had taped the lens (yes, taped) back into the frame so that I could actually see at night, because they were my only pair. Go ahead - laugh. Mark has been teasing me relentlessly. And in all fairness, it did look ridiculous. Well, I ordered new glasses on Monday. $300 for the frames, $130 for the lenses. They're FRAMELESS glasses.How do you justify $300 for frames when they're sold as frameless? Yeah, I know. It's a technicality, but still - it's stupid, for lack of a better term.

And this morning, a bunch of the girls from WA had a yard sale at K's house. N warned us about the early-birds... literally. "Beware the early birds" was her exact quote. So this guy shows up at 7:15 for an 8 am sale start, barges in, grabs $20 worth of stuff and says "Can you change a hundred?" Are you kidding me?  WTF????  Good thing for the mimosas, C. They totally did the trick. Thanks, girls. I had a blast! 

And C: Way to get rid of the funky pizza set. That is as good as it gets...

Eleven Weeks and Counting

So we had Bodie at the vet's this morning for his latest round of shots, and he weighs 24.3 pounds. At eleven weeks! He's growing like a weed - maybe a little too quickly, according to the vet. She has some concerns about his rapid growth - he's added 8 pounds in just three weeks. He isn't overweight, and he looks good for his size, but she's concerned about his joints. I guess he could potentially have some osteopathic issues if he grows too quickly. Soooo... we've ordered the Orijen large breed puppy formula as recommended by our vet, and hopefully we'll avoid any future joint problems. After all, maybe he's just going to be BIG. Look at the size of his feet in this photo! They look so innocent when they're sleeping, don't they? Nothing about this photo would indicate the fact that I've chased the front door rug down the hallway three times today...

Catching Up

It has taken me so long to actually get something up on this blog - I'm a little embarrassed! 

A good friend of mine was gracious enough to spend some time with us taking photos of Bodie, our new pup, Kota, our gentle giant, and my beautiful, fabulously cool niece, L - here are a few of the shots she took. You can find more of her work on her website and/or blog - see the links for Kari under

"My Favorite Things." It was so much fun to get these shots - hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

 - Nicki