So, I guess there was some big game today? I don’t really know, all I know is Kristin and I went out for dinner after English Country Dancing (yes again!) and while the bar was PACKED, the dining room was completely empty. Whatever I had a lot of fun dancing, it’s way more fun to exercise surrounded by people laughing and having fun, not even realizing I’m exercising, than to go outside in three feet of snow to take a walk, and workout videos in my house aren’t really an option. I can’t wait until next month!
On another note, I went out with my friend Sarah on Thursday and she told me all about the birth-parents that picked her and Jeff this week! If all goes according to plan, they’ll have a tiny little one keeping her up all night by this time next month!! She is going to be a great mom! Also, I gave her some low-sodium split pea soup which she said was amazing (and which I really like to). The recipe is out of the cookbook I wrote several years ago for another friend who was getting married, and I decided to share it with you here.
Split Pea Soup
1/2 large onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, grated (or the equivalent of jarred minced garlic or dried garlic, but if it's dry add with the peas, not the onion)
1 bag baby carrots, chopped into 1/4 inch carrots
1 C smoked pork chop (you can get them at Super Target or the Fresh Market by my house), fully cooked*
2 C dried peas sorted and rinsed
8 C water
seasoning to taste (I used Ms. Dash original and Ms. Dash stead seasoning along with some pepper)
Sautee onion, garlic, and carrots until onion is soft (about five minutes). Add peas and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook until the peas are soft (about an hour) stirring as needed. Add pork chop and heat through.
*I bought my pork chop already fully cooked and just had to cut into bite size pieces. If yours isn’t', I would suggest cutting and then sautéing before you do the onions so you can cook the onion in the pork fat.
1 serving = 1 cup of soup (150 mgs of sodium, which is all I kept track of nutritionally speaking)
Showing posts with label art and theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art and theatre. Show all posts
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
English Country Dancing
So you know how a few days ago I blogged about how I love proposal stories? Well I have one more to share with you. On Sunday the Jane Austen Fan Club I attend hosted an English Country Dance. Some people from Fermilab who do those dances demonstrated and then they taught us a few. I had just seen Jessica and J (who have been dating for a few years now) on Saturday (which I’ll tell you about later)- Jessica was ring free. When we got up to dance, pretty much the first thing I noticed was her shiny new ring. Later she told us her story.
On their first date she and J had walked to a local landmark known as “the castle”. Yesterday J made her go for another walk to the castle, which she didn’t really want to do, because it was cold, but she did because after all she does love him. When they got there she was looking at the castle and he was standing behind her. He tapped her on the shoulder and got down on one knee and asked “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” Of course she said yes, and the rest is romantic history (or future depending on what you’re talking about).
She apparently knew it was coming soon-ish because they had picked out her ring together, but she says she was still surprised, and of course my JAFC and I are happy for them. Congratulations guys!
Also, English Country Dancing is fun. If you don’t really know what I’m talking about, watch any Jane Austen movie, the dancing they do at the ball is English Country Dancing. Alternatively, you could just check out my pics.
First the demonstrators:
Next a group of people learning the dances:
Here are the participants, participating:
Jessica and my friend J (he recently told me that "like many people a part of him wishes he could be blurry in all photos" therefore, I think he turned his head on purpose):
Kristin learning to dance straight from one of the fermilab men (I danced with him later, he was very nice and very good at what he does)
On their first date she and J had walked to a local landmark known as “the castle”. Yesterday J made her go for another walk to the castle, which she didn’t really want to do, because it was cold, but she did because after all she does love him. When they got there she was looking at the castle and he was standing behind her. He tapped her on the shoulder and got down on one knee and asked “Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” Of course she said yes, and the rest is romantic history (or future depending on what you’re talking about).
She apparently knew it was coming soon-ish because they had picked out her ring together, but she says she was still surprised, and of course my JAFC and I are happy for them. Congratulations guys!
Also, English Country Dancing is fun. If you don’t really know what I’m talking about, watch any Jane Austen movie, the dancing they do at the ball is English Country Dancing. Alternatively, you could just check out my pics.
First the demonstrators:
Next a group of people learning the dances:
Here are the participants, participating:
Jessica and my friend J (he recently told me that "like many people a part of him wishes he could be blurry in all photos" therefore, I think he turned his head on purpose):
Kristin learning to dance straight from one of the fermilab men (I danced with him later, he was very nice and very good at what he does)
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Art?? Update
My friends and I have been discussing what art is ever since I came back from the Art Institute last weekend. Most people agree with my decisions on what was "art", what was "maybe art" and what was "NOT art". One person tried to convince me that what I saw as "not art" I simply didn't have the depth to perceive correctly. Meanwhile my best friend gave me her definition of art
A) it must be aesthetically pleasing to SOMEONE
B) it must make you think about SOMETHING or challenge you in some way
and
C) it requires some level of talent, i.e. she should not be able to produce it.
Therefore, the "Untitled" portrait which became the center of several art discussions over the last week was deemed "not art" before I even finished my explanation. Honestly, I love my best friend and I respect her opinion. Often I am swayed to agree with her fairly easily because I think she is smarter than I in most ways. However, in this case I was not swayed. I am still not sure it is "art" but neither am I sure it is "not art".
Tell me internet, how do you define "art". Not having seen the piece in question, do you think it can be potentially labeled "art"? What about the other pieces I mentioned?
A) it must be aesthetically pleasing to SOMEONE
B) it must make you think about SOMETHING or challenge you in some way
and
C) it requires some level of talent, i.e. she should not be able to produce it.
Therefore, the "Untitled" portrait which became the center of several art discussions over the last week was deemed "not art" before I even finished my explanation. Honestly, I love my best friend and I respect her opinion. Often I am swayed to agree with her fairly easily because I think she is smarter than I in most ways. However, in this case I was not swayed. I am still not sure it is "art" but neither am I sure it is "not art".
Tell me internet, how do you define "art". Not having seen the piece in question, do you think it can be potentially labeled "art"? What about the other pieces I mentioned?
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Art??
Today I took the train into Chicago. I intended on wandering the Art Institute for a few hours and then going to Skydeck (the observation deck of Sears Willis Tower). I did go to the Art Institute, but I didn’t really want to go to Skydeck alone. Somehow I decided I would go back to Chicago tomorrow and see the other half of the Asian exhibit, which is my favorite. I only saw about half of it today because I wanted to the Modern Art without Kristin who really only likes to point and laugh at modern art, and go to Skydeck then. However, what I really wanted to tell you about, is the modern art wing at the AIC. Believe me people, sometimes art is cool, or challenging, or disturbing, and sometimes it’s just NOT art. Let me explain…
Mortar and Pestle by Janine Antoni-
Disturbing, and weird? Check! Art? I’ll let you decide. Then there was…
Untitled (Portrait of Ross in LA) by Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Sorry, I can’t post an actual picture as it is LITERALLY a pile of wrapped hard candies stacked in the corner of a room.
According to the description posted, the artist also calls it “Ideal weight 175 lbs”. You see his lover died of an AIDS related illness. The candies start out as a pile ideally weighing about 175 lbs (the lover's ideal weight) and instructions are given that adult visitors may eat one piece of candy so that the weight of the pile slowly deteriorates like the artist’s lover did in his final illness. Instructions are also given that the candies should be replenished when they run low, thus “giving the piece and the man [I think the lover] eternal existence”. I can assemble candy in a corner. But can I give it meaning? It did make me think, it challenged my preconceptions of what I was looking at, it even challenged my ideas of what art is. I was tempted to write it off as “not art” but I can’t. At least I’ll still think about this one.
The one I won’t think about (except in outrage that someone deemed it “art") is called Distorted Circle Within A Square by Robert Mangold. It is literally a rough black circle drawn on a plain, grey painted square canvas. I could literally make the exact same thing. Shoot, I have three year olds who have to do the exact same thing (draw a circle, not paint a square) as a test to make sure they are developmentally where they ought to be. NOT ART!
However, there is always my favorite thing in the modern wing to go to when I’m outraged. (Despite my comments above, I have been there before and I do enjoy it.) It’s a painting called White Crucifixion by Chagall.
This is a painting of the crucifixion of Jesus done in 1938 Europe (France). Above Jesus are the Jewish matriarchs and patriarchs, and below him are representations of the pogroms so prevalent at the time. Here Jesus is not murdered by the Jews as in the prevelent, contemporary view, but rather a Jewish martyr like so many others. It is moving, challenging, hard to really look at, and it is art. There is nothing challenging to drawing a misshapen circle inside a square, no reason for me to really look at it and nothing to make me truly think.
Perhaps I really will go back tomorrow (I’m a teacher, so I get free admission and I still have my weekend pass for the train…). If I do you can guarantee I will finish the other half of the Asian exhibit. I might even check out the Chagall again. But I promise you I will skip the plain black canvas with nothing on it someone deemed art. Also if I go, I really am going to Skydeck.
Mortar and Pestle by Janine Antoni-
Disturbing, and weird? Check! Art? I’ll let you decide. Then there was…
Untitled (Portrait of Ross in LA) by Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Sorry, I can’t post an actual picture as it is LITERALLY a pile of wrapped hard candies stacked in the corner of a room.
According to the description posted, the artist also calls it “Ideal weight 175 lbs”. You see his lover died of an AIDS related illness. The candies start out as a pile ideally weighing about 175 lbs (the lover's ideal weight) and instructions are given that adult visitors may eat one piece of candy so that the weight of the pile slowly deteriorates like the artist’s lover did in his final illness. Instructions are also given that the candies should be replenished when they run low, thus “giving the piece and the man [I think the lover] eternal existence”. I can assemble candy in a corner. But can I give it meaning? It did make me think, it challenged my preconceptions of what I was looking at, it even challenged my ideas of what art is. I was tempted to write it off as “not art” but I can’t. At least I’ll still think about this one.
The one I won’t think about (except in outrage that someone deemed it “art") is called Distorted Circle Within A Square by Robert Mangold. It is literally a rough black circle drawn on a plain, grey painted square canvas. I could literally make the exact same thing. Shoot, I have three year olds who have to do the exact same thing (draw a circle, not paint a square) as a test to make sure they are developmentally where they ought to be. NOT ART!
However, there is always my favorite thing in the modern wing to go to when I’m outraged. (Despite my comments above, I have been there before and I do enjoy it.) It’s a painting called White Crucifixion by Chagall.
This is a painting of the crucifixion of Jesus done in 1938 Europe (France). Above Jesus are the Jewish matriarchs and patriarchs, and below him are representations of the pogroms so prevalent at the time. Here Jesus is not murdered by the Jews as in the prevelent, contemporary view, but rather a Jewish martyr like so many others. It is moving, challenging, hard to really look at, and it is art. There is nothing challenging to drawing a misshapen circle inside a square, no reason for me to really look at it and nothing to make me truly think.
Perhaps I really will go back tomorrow (I’m a teacher, so I get free admission and I still have my weekend pass for the train…). If I do you can guarantee I will finish the other half of the Asian exhibit. I might even check out the Chagall again. But I promise you I will skip the plain black canvas with nothing on it someone deemed art. Also if I go, I really am going to Skydeck.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Busy weekend
Yesterday Best Friend and I took Niece and Nephew to the zoo. It was tons of fun, partly because Niece doesn’t know “Ms. Best Friend” very well so she wanted to hold my hand and made Best Friend carry Nephew in all the exhibits. This meant that Best Friend was completely exhausted when we got home and I was still feeling excited and energetic. You will, I’m sure, be pleased to learn that Nephew still knows the gorillas, and came even closer than “gerba” when he said “rilla”. He also learned “sheeee” while playing with the seals/sea lions in the underwater viewing space. I learned that if you save the tiger (my favorite animal, but kind of a boring zoo exhibit) for last, she has woken up and is playing. Nephew really seemed to like her so we watched for awhile and I told him stuff about the tiger and he learned to say “ger”. Also, he flat out refused to walk. He will stand, and he would walk if he could put his hand, however lightly, on something. He was clearly completely capable of walking, but he crawls faster than any kid I’ve ever seen. He literally crawls about as fast as Niece runs, so I think he didn’t want to slow himself down.
Today my SIL called me up to let me know he took his first steps. I told you he was capable. Yesterday crawling was more efficient and let me remain stable in the chaos of the park at the zoo. Today he was in his Sunday school class/nursery and he has older friends who walk, so he clearly needed to show them who’s the boss. I made SIL promise we would hang out this week so I could see because I won’t be able to babysit him on Saturday.
Also, I was supposed to get to see “The Mad King of Scotland” (AKA Macbeth) tonight. Sadly, it was not showing, perhaps because of poor attendance. So, if there’s community theatre near you, please go to see it, but I was PISSED to miss the Scottish play. And, also because I put on eyeliner to go out and wound up eating Thai food in my pjs, on my couch, watching The Secret Life of Elephants, Hancock, and Star Wars VI: The Return of the Jedi.
Today my SIL called me up to let me know he took his first steps. I told you he was capable. Yesterday crawling was more efficient and let me remain stable in the chaos of the park at the zoo. Today he was in his Sunday school class/nursery and he has older friends who walk, so he clearly needed to show them who’s the boss. I made SIL promise we would hang out this week so I could see because I won’t be able to babysit him on Saturday.
Also, I was supposed to get to see “The Mad King of Scotland” (AKA Macbeth) tonight. Sadly, it was not showing, perhaps because of poor attendance. So, if there’s community theatre near you, please go to see it, but I was PISSED to miss the Scottish play. And, also because I put on eyeliner to go out and wound up eating Thai food in my pjs, on my couch, watching The Secret Life of Elephants, Hancock, and Star Wars VI: The Return of the Jedi.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Dear Theatre Goers,
Despite the fact that I paid twelve dollars to see A Midsummer’s Night Dream, my real goal was to hear your cell phone ringtone. Therefore, please do not under any circumstances turn off your phone per the years of instruction from the mass use of cell phones began and the usher at the beginning of the show. Also, because my real goal is to hear about your life, not about the most complicated love triangle of Shakespeare’s time, please do not reject the call and return it at a more convenient time. It is much better if you go ahead and answer the call. It is clearly better for us all to hear this conversation…
“I can’t talk now. [short pause] No I’m at the theatre. [Short pause] A Midsummer’s Night Dream. [short pause] At the community college. [long pause] No it’s surprisingly good. I’ll tell you about it at dinner. (Please note that the show is ending at six and therefore the speaker is planning on meeting the caller almost immediately after the show.) [Short pause] Okay, bye.”
…than to hear Oberon explaining what the flower he wants Puck to pick for him will do therefore setting up the entire rest of the play. Also, by using your loudest stage whisper you can show your respect to the actors and to the rest of the theatre. I do so hope that I will run into you again next weekend at M*A*S*H.
Respectfully yours,
** A Note**
This actually happened last weekend. I did not intend on mentioning it, but I've been annoyed about it all week and I really am going to see another play tonight. Also, there was almost carnage in the lobby during intermission, as half the theatre was at least as annoyed as I was.
“I can’t talk now. [short pause] No I’m at the theatre. [Short pause] A Midsummer’s Night Dream. [short pause] At the community college. [long pause] No it’s surprisingly good. I’ll tell you about it at dinner. (Please note that the show is ending at six and therefore the speaker is planning on meeting the caller almost immediately after the show.) [Short pause] Okay, bye.”
…than to hear Oberon explaining what the flower he wants Puck to pick for him will do therefore setting up the entire rest of the play. Also, by using your loudest stage whisper you can show your respect to the actors and to the rest of the theatre. I do so hope that I will run into you again next weekend at M*A*S*H.
Respectfully yours,
** A Note**
This actually happened last weekend. I did not intend on mentioning it, but I've been annoyed about it all week and I really am going to see another play tonight. Also, there was almost carnage in the lobby during intermission, as half the theatre was at least as annoyed as I was.
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