i’m not here. i’m at cha no ma-ri. now. December 19, 2007

Just a gentle reminder that I’ll no longer be posting to this blog. You’ll find me at:

cha no ma-ri.

my silly little thoughts will become a part of cha no ma-ri. what is cha no ma-ri? read about it in my welcome post.

now visit me there already.

and happy holidays, everyone!

Friday Links: Link to me. December 14, 2007

I finally completed my new site - you can look at it here.

(*And a quick update about the new blog, at the bottom of this post.)

There are still some little things that need fixing like links that aren’t quite working or some text that needs formatting. Please don’t ask why I don’t hire someone to do this for me; I should. But I’m fascinated by all this design and computer and web stuff, even if I’m not so great at it. Maybe it’s my need to figure things out. Maybe I have too much time to fulfill my need to figure things out.

Nevertheless, it’s done. And this time around, I have to update it regularly. Why? Because on some of the pages, I said I would. I try to be a woman of my word. I hope in this instance I really am.

Check it out. Let me know what you think.

And oh, here’s another link, to the new blog. I’ve called it cha no ma-ri. You’ll have to go there and read it to understand the new name. But please believe me when I say it’s not that mysterious. Hint: think living room. (And for now, think boring living room in terms of looks; once I get the hang of all this I’m going to change the look of the new blog because right now, it’s quite boring. I’m snoring).

And what will happen to my silly little thoughts? Of course I’m always going to have them. They’re just going to be in cha no ma-ri.

Have a good weekend everyone.

(I set up a new blog for my new site yesterday. But after trying a few edits, it was just not working for me. I went back to using WordPress which is working pretty well. The web address for the blog is still the same, www.blog.mischiefmari.com; please check that your subscription settings work so that you can get the latest from me. And thanks, as always, for visiting).
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Holiday Cookies. December 12, 2007

Because of our recent move, I haven’t been doing too much baking or decorating. But last week I made a batch of holiday cookies that turned out well and turned out to be a nice break from the unpacking and rearranging I’ve been engrossed with. I didn’t try anything new with this set; I found a photo of a holiday set I created last year recreated it. When I printed the photo from my flickr portfolio, it dawned on me: Holy guacamole. I’ve made a lot of cookies.

By the way, thanks for the comments about the chicken coop. Linda, I agree with you that the coop’s got my name written all over it. I’d show you what it looks like inside but the battery on my camera died and I forgot to recharge it for a photo to add to this post. And yes, CaptainCat, I’d love to put chickens in there AND hang a “Lucy” sign outside stating that the shrink is in (not that anyone would take my advice). But the truth is, it will be impossible to put any kind of creature in there. Because of this fella:

This is Nunuk. He looks sweet and mellow in this shot. And he is. But the instant he spots a squirrel he goes berserk. I’m not going to even begin to describe how he reacts to another dog…But he loves, LOVES, people. I’ll bet our mailman didn’t know how loved he could be. Nunuk’s a nice mix of Alaskan Malamute and Shepherd. I know. That’s a whole lotta dog.
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Friday Links: The Often Overlooked Grapefruit. December 8, 2007

Did you think I forgot about my own little Friday links? I’m behind, that’s all. As I am in most things in life. But let’s not get into that now…

We have a grapefruit tree in the garden of our new home. The mere mention of this to my mother tickled her. And it delighted my mother-in-law, who loves grapefruit and who for decades has been trying to get everyone else on the grapefruit train. I’m certain she’s already planning a trip across the Atlantic not just to see us, but also our little grapefruit tree.

The grapefruits on our tree are still struggling to ripen - we have been soaked with rain for two days now - but they’re nearly there. Wolf and I were lucky enough to get a ripe one a few days ago. It was sweet with only a slight hint of that bitter grapefruit taste that I think is what turns people off to this great member of the citrus family. While I’m excited that I’ll be making freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice on a regular basis, I wondered what other things I could make and also what interesting facts I might discover about the g-fruit.

Here are a few little tidbits for you late this Friday:

• Someday soon, I’ll try my hand at this Grapefruit Tart recipe, from Epicurious.com.
• Every year there’s a new crash diet that makes the news. I can’t remember when I first heard about the Grapefruit Diet, and as much as I like the fruit, basing a whole diet on it is, well, a bit much. The site contains a little background on the grapefruit’s origins.
• A few months ago, when I had an acute case of sinusitis, someone at the health store suggested I use a nasal spray with grapefruit extract in it. Or something like that. It didn’t work very well. But I have heard that it works well in skin care products. This article claims it helps combat cellulite! From indobase.com.
  
• Oh. If you’re taking Viagra, you might want to skip the grapefruit juice according to this study.

Before I go to the kitchen and clean off my juicer, I’d like to share some great news with you: my cinematographer/Director of Photography husband, Wolf, got a film into the Sundance Film Festival. Oh, joy! He shot “Half Life” in late 2004, and finally, finally! The world will see his great talent. I’m so proud of him.

And more news: I’ve been talking on and off for a while about changing my site and creating a new blog. This big move for me is finally about to materialize. I could have done this a while back, but I wanted to wait to get my latest writing and web projects completed so I could link to them. However, like a lot of things I work on, the completion of those projects is taking longer than I had hoped. Despite that, I’ve decided to go ahead and launch the new site. The web address, www.mischiefmari.com, will remain the same but the content will be quite different. My life is changing and I feel that my site and blog need to reflect that. I’ll keep you posted on the status of the new site. And I certainly hope you’ll join me as I step onto this new path…

Now go and get a grapefruit.
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cooped up. December 4, 2007

We did it. We moved. My fourth move in ten years. For some people that’s too much. For me, pretty normal. When you grow up in the Foreign Service as I did, you never know where you’ll be in a few years. Though this is another rental, we plan to make the most of it.

Pictured above is a chicken coop. No chickens now but there apparently were during the second world war. Will this remain a little gardening tool shed? Or will we make it into a tiny study for me? Shall I, like Lucy of the Peanuts, hang a sign outside that says, “Psychiatrist in. Five cents”? Any suggestions?

It just occurred to me that this is the first house I’m living in since high school (over twenty years ago!!!). Wow. Though I’m pretty tired from the move - we did it all ourselves: the packing, the lifting, the moving, the truck-loading…sheesh! - I am so excited about our new life here.

Feels like home.

Tired monkey. November 26, 2007

I finished a round of funkey monkeys late yesterday afternoon, and of course, the light wasn’t very good. I asked Wolf to take this photo with his super-duper fancy camera; it still didn’t come out quite right.

I got this image from a photo I found over a year ago, but I can’t remember exactly where I got it. I think it was a monkey from an ad that appeared during the Superbowl halftime (anyone? sound familiar?) He looked so tired, so…resigned. And he was wearing a white shirt and tie. One look and I was smitten.

We are about to move to a new home. By the end of this week, my back will hurt, but I will have seen many things I didn’t look at or touch in a while. That’s part of moving. As much as you look forward, it’s impossible not to collide with the past as you sort through old things.

I just hope I can remember our new address…right now, I’m still in that phase when I have to think twice about it. Yes, generally speaking these days, I look a bit like Mr. Monkey in the picture. I can almost feel the question mark over my head…

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Friday Links: Not much. Just parsnips. November 23, 2007

I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a good one. If you’re like me, you’re probably rubbing your belly and wondering where you found room in your body for another bite. But you did. My mother claimed she was on strike, so she didn’t cook. Instead, she took us to a fancy restaurant for dinner. And I must say, it sure is nice to see my mother relaxed and someone else - in our case, a small coterie of handsome young waiters - waiting on her.

Getting access to the computer in my mother’s house has been a bit difficult, so I haven’t posted as much as I had hoped. I should resume my ‘regular’ schedule next week. Though, as you have probably noticed, I’m not the most regular poster out there…I am striving to change that.

Last night I started off with a parsnip soup. I’ve always thought parsnips were kind of…blah. And always roasted alongside a massive turkey or beef roast. Last night’s soup changed all of that for me. I found a recipe for you that is similar to the one I ate. So if you see the parsnips at the grocery store and they look like no one is picking them and you feel sorry for them, try this recipe, at Epicurious.com.

And have you ever wondered what a parsnip really is? Here’s an explanation of the little thing’s origins. From the Canadian Encyclopedia.

If you’re traveling back home, have a safe trip. I’ll be making my monkey cookies on Sunday. I can’t wait to show you how they turn out!!!

Friday Links: Don’t be a turkey. November 16, 2007

What’s the closest you’ve come to getting the boot from a friend’s house?

About eight years ago, before Wolf and I were married, we were at a dinner party where, on our way from the living room to the family room, we noticed a wall of photos, most of them of the host, his wife and their many powerful friends. Many powerful Republican friends. Many Republican presidential friends. It was almost like staring at a historical archive. There the couple was, often in black tie and gown, standing proudly between President Nixon and his wife, or with President Ford and his wife, and oh…at one point I noticed a photo of this couple standing between the first President Bush and the current President Bush (pre-White House).

I couldn’t help myself. At the sight of this husband and wife standing between the two Presidents Bush, I said: “Oh, look. There’s Dumb and Dumber.”

Wolf laughed.

Our host kind of laughed and frowned at the same time. He knew I was talking about the Bush men. But I was more cautious about joking after that.

Well, Thanksgiving’s around the corner. I expect we’ll soon see a photo of W. with a live turkey at the White House. Now, I’m not going to get into a big fight or debate about Republicans versus Democrats, but when I think of Mr. Bush, I think of a turkey. Here’s why, and some other fabulous links:

• When you call someone a turkey, you’re calling them a ding-dong. “During the ‘70’s a popular slang expression was to call a person doing a stupid thing, a “turkey.” Being called a turkey was not a compliment, in fact, it meant you were incompetent. The comparison was to the domestic turkey that has been bred into a condition of profound stupidity.” For more Turkey History and Lore, go to University of Illinois Extension’s deeply fascinating Turkey page.
• Have you ever had deep fried turkey? It’s delicious. It’s also very dangerous if you don’t allow the bird to completely thaw out prior to inserting it into the vat of hot oil. It can explode. And burn down your house. But if you still want to give it a go, here’s how, at Fabulous Foods.
• Vegan with a Vengeance. By Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Now there’s a serious book title. Being vegetarian or vegan doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Thanksgiving.
• Isa Chandra Moskowitz is also the host of “Post Punk Kitchen,” a blog and video show. One of the reasons she hosts PPK: “The Post Punk Kitchen will kick the Food Network’s ass. That is our mission. That is why we exist.”
• Children are often taught about the friendly and peaceful “First Thanksgiving’ that the Pilgrims and Indians’ shared. A few years ago, while on our annual trip to Washington for Thanksgiving, my mother took us to the National Museum of the American Indian. It is a HUGE museum. Very interesting. And very classy.
  
• It was at the NMAI that I discovered the work of Allan Houser. His scultpure blew me away.
  
• Thanksgiving and Football. For some people, the two go together. So, for you football fans - and environmentally-conscious people (that’s all of us, right?) - I recently saw a report on how the Philadelphia Eagles are being very green despite their crappy season this year. Here’s a link to the story on ABC News.
  
• It’s not unusual to overeat at this time of the year. I try not to. But when I can’t move after eating so much, the old Alka-Seltzer jingle goes through my head: “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!” Well, guess who’s trying to revive that campaign? Check it out here, at - where else? - plopplopfizzfizz.com.
  

Have a good Thanksgiving everyone. I’m going to DC next week. I hope I’ll get to post from there. Cheers.
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monkey see, monkey do. November 15, 2007

I’ve had monkeys on my mind, lately. Every Sunday, if he’s not working, my husband plays a screwball version of volleyball that he and his buddies call ‘monkeyball.’ It’s basically beach volleyball minus any rules. One of the regulars, a tall, hulking Norwegian who frequently plays with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, often kicks the ball over the net. Because the group’s motto is, “It’s always in,” I made a t-shirt for Wolf with a monkey flying next to a volleyball net with that quote underneath.

But I didn’t like the design, and so I started to think about another one. That’s when a woman contacted me and asked me to make a set of monkey cookies for her father in Florida. She wanted the cutout cookies, but they’re impossible to ship. And I’m not sure her father would like monkeys with “Kiss My A–” or “Spank Me” on the shorts.

But instead of turning her away, I saw this as an opportunity to come up with a new design. Here are some ideas I sketched this evening, and some of them will end up on 2.5-inch square cookies.

I have one more monkey image I’m thinking of using, that of a monkey hanging from a tree, but what I’ve sketched so far hasn’t really excited me. I’ll post the final results here in a little over a week, I think. Until then, I’ll be monkeying around, trying to figure something out…
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Friday Links: Why does Jane Austen Rock? November 9, 2007

A few weeks ago, when I came up with the design of this Jane Austen cookie, I didn’t think much of it. The very interesting and informative Michael Surtees had asked to interview me for his site, and at the time, the banner of his blog contained a photo of a sign that read, “Cups and Saucers.” Inspired by that sign - a photo he had taken while on a typography tour of the East Village in Manhattan - I pulled out my seldom-used teapot cookie cutters.

Using Jane Austen’s profile was a complete afterthought. In fact, when I finished the first cookie with her profile, I was convinced that it was a dud. It wasn’t mischievous, and to me it wasn’t very original. I had used a pre-existing image of her and the colors weren’t my usual vibrant mix of electric blues, pinks, yellows and greens. As I let the icing dry, I remember thinking that I should probably try something else. Then my husband took one look and said, “Whoa. That’s cool. It would be even cooler if you flipped Jane so she’s facing the other direction.” I did.

The response to the cookie has been overwhelming. And I thank you, my dear Readers, for that. But still, it has left me wondering:

What makes Jane Austen rock?

I like Jane Austen. I really do. I respect her talent and her influence on writers who have come after her is undisputed. What has puzzled me, however, is the Austen Mania. There seems to be a love for this writer that is quite different from the love that readers have for other writers.

I’m going to think about that over the weekend. Meanwhile, here are some interesting Jane Austen things for you to browse:

• Lori Smith just published a book called A Walk With Jane Austen. I’ll be reading it soon. In the meantime, Lori, maybe you can tell us what draws people to Ms. Austen.
• I confess I do like to see who’s visiting my site, my blog and my Flickr photos. The spirited reporters at AustenBlog have pointed their readers to this cookie. And to a LOT of other Austen information.
• I have mentioned in the past that my mother is a Jane Austen fan. Personally, I’d describe her more like being gripped permanently by Austen fever. We bought her this Jane Austen Action Figure a few years ago for her birthday. It stands prominently in her living room.
• As a filmmaker, I’m often asked for the titles of my favorite films. As far as Austen adaptations, I’ll say that my favorites are the BBC Adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice,” and Ang Lee’s “Sense and Sensibility,” which was adapted for the screen by Emma Thompson. I hate her. She’s so multi-talented.
• Oh, and speaking of the Beeb’s version of P&P. I once interviewed Colin Firth for Vogue Japan (when the first “Bridget Jones’s Diary” came out). He is a nice guy. But I think Mr. Darcy was probably hotter.
• Some people take their interest in Miss Austen very seriously. That’s why groups like The Jane Austen Society exist.

I didn’t finish the best-selling The Jane Austen Book Club. But I did recently see a trailer for the film adaptation in which one of the characters asks, “What would Jane do?” Personally, I think, “Don’t worry what Jane would do. Enjoy her books. But do what YOU want to do.”

Have a good weekend, dear Readers.
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