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I love how peaceful and serene this room feels – a retreat. Yum.

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In the past few weeks, I’ve spent some time going through a lot of stuff.

And I really mean “stuff.” A lot of it junk, a lot of it just old and in need of a new home, and a little bit that I want to hold onto. Among the things I want to keep: memorabilia from my childhood and before. You see, I’m a person who sees things and associates them with certain memories. Stuff that may seem like junk to others somehow evokes emotions and thoughts for me that I don’t get in other ways.

For example, when sorting through some old boxes, I found my grandmother’s college diploma and some subsequently-published journal articles. My grandmother died almost 15 years ago and I wasn’t around when she graduated from college or even when she was working. She retired around the time I was born. And yet, these things, which I may have seen once or twice in my life took me on a little mental journey, reflecting on the women who raised me (my mom and my grandmother), the struggles they endured, and the lessons that I internalized but rarely credit them for. I thought of my grandmother, a college graduate with a chemistry degree even before women were widely accepted in the workforce. A young widow trying to come to terms with the untimely death of her husband when her daughter was under a year old. My mother, growing up in the ’60s, smart and probably more than a little wild. And I think about how all of these events, even though they aren’t a part of my experiences, still shape me, still shape the person I am and the person I can become.

And quite frankly, I’m in awe. I think about the struggles I endure compared to theirs, and I’m grateful. Grateful that I have so many choices, so many opportunities, so much strength forged from their years of experiences and struggles. And for at least a little while, I need to reflect on that, to remind myself of where I come from in order to gain some perspective on where I go from here.

Photo Credit: Koffiemetkoek on Flickr

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

New Front Page!

Twitter announced a new front page (click the link up there to see the blog post they did about it). I think it looks pretty nice and is clearly a move toward optimizing twitter for real-time searching. But, it seems like users weren’t happy about it in some cases. What do you think?

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I’m wondering who thought I was “flamboyant”

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ReadTheBill.org, a project of the Sunlight Foundation aims to encourage citizens and government official alike to read bills, before debate and voting begins. Specifically, ReadTheBill aims to require the posting of non-emergency bills online for at least 72 hours prior to debate to allow citizens to read, comment, and express their reactions to their representatives.  It’s a pretty simple concept, and would help increase transparency in our government. Transparency seems to be a buzzword and it’s sometimes unclear how to achieve it given the sometimes overwhelming amount of information related to the government. Small steps such as this concept are great beginning steps to encourage more active citizen participation and empowerment.

On June 16, H.Res.554 was introduced in the House, which is dubbed the “Read the Bill” bill. Head on over to OpenCongress to read H.Res.554 and then over to sign the petition in support at ReadTheBill.org

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Tonight’s dinner is courtesy of Publix Apron’s Meals, one of my favorite sources of recipes. It’s a grilled sausage recipe, with a delicious fruit relish.

Ingredients
2 kiwifruit (rinsed)
1 mango or papaya (rinsed), (or 1 cup fresh papaya slices)
1 carambola (star fruit), optional (rinsed)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups water
1 cup apple juice
4 fully cooked chicken (or turkey) sausage links, about 3/4 lb

4 whole grain hot dog or sandwich buns

Steps

1. Peel fruit (except carambola), remove seeds, and cut each into very small pieces (about 2 cups); place in medium bowl. Stir in vinegar and salt; set aside.
2. Preheat grill (or grill pan). Combine in medium saucepan, water, apple juice, and sausage links (wash hands). Bring to a boil on high. Reduce heat to low; cook 5 minutes or until hot.
3. Place sausage links on grill or grill pan (wash hands); close lid of grill (or cover loosely with foil). Grill 5-7 minutes or until outside of sausage is crisp and brown and internal temperature reaches 165°F. Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness. (Grills vary widely; adjust time as needed.)
4. Place one sausage on each bun; top with fruit relish. Add additional fruit relish on side and serve.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 360kcal; FAT 12g; CHOL 60mg; SODIUM 300mg; CARB 44g; FIBER 4g; PROTEIN 22g; VIT A 10%; VIT C 100%; CALC 8%; IRON 15%

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Check out this great little bag that I got today courtesy of Bernadette over at buphotography.com
It’s a hand printed linen pouch from Etsy seller Elisabeth Bentz (http://elizabethbentz.com & http://etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6557560)

I’m in love with it already! Thanks Bernadette!

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In searching online for various career personality and aptitude tests, I came across a one-question test. One question? Really?  I was actually surprised to read the short description and find something that seemed to make sense.  I’m off to read the rest of the descriptions to see if it’s like psychic readings where general information can apply to a lot of people!

The Question

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