mourningdove

Rear Window: Berlin Edition

So, its been a couple of months now, and while I haven’t met many of my neighbors–I find Berliners keep mostly to themselves other than the forced ritual of having the DHL guy leave packages with you for other people who then show up sheepishly at your door at 9 pm to collect them–that hasn’tContinue reading “Rear Window: Berlin Edition”

Copenhagen

Last weekend my friends David and Lindsey invited me up to the little converted barn they’re renting on a farmer’s property near Ringsted, about forty minutes outside Copenhagen. The farmer actually cultures willows into fantastic yard sculptures, and the property is beautiful. It backs onto a beechwood that contains a Viking tumulus–an old one, asContinue reading “Copenhagen”

Amicae Usque ad Aras: Part Three, Cont.

Phemonoe The portal opened, and Dia stumbled through it–drunk, laughing, and half-naked with the missing Pelios wrapped around her like her tablos. She looked up and saw us standing by the fire–me, the Pythia, and the Dodona guard captain–and a flock of emotions flushed from cover to fly across her face: shock, shame, hatred, lust,Continue reading “Amicae Usque ad Aras: Part Three, Cont.”

Aikido and Rhetoric: The Sword, The Scalpel

The penetrating brilliance of swordsWielded by followers of the WayStrikes at the evil enemyLurking deep withinTheir own souls and bodies. O-sensei, The Art of Peace SocratesThat is just what surprises me, Gorgias, and has made me ask you all this time what in the world the power of rhetoric can be. For, viewed in thisContinue reading “Aikido and Rhetoric: The Sword, The Scalpel”

Amicae Usque ad Aras, Part Three

Dionysia And then everything fell apart. Not in the way I thought it might, not at all. And at first everything seemed to be going exactly as I wanted–no, as I would have wanted if I had had a gods-eye view of my life. Someone did leave the Hosioi, but it wasn’t Noe. The injuryContinue reading “Amicae Usque ad Aras, Part Three”

Untangling the Skein

I owe this phrase to the inimitable Chump Lady, who uses it to describe the obsessive phase that chumps (cheated-on partners) often go through as they try to wrap their heads around how and why their cheaters could have done what they did: e.g., watching dozens of videos on narcissism and Cluster B personality disorders;Continue reading “Untangling the Skein”

Amicae Usque ad Aras: Part Two, Cont.

Phemonoe The day that was set for the start of the Pythian Games dawned stormy, fitful, and indeed the Pythia’s augury determined that the opening ceremony should be postponed. This wasn’t entirely unwelcome news among the Hosioi, as we had to prepare not only ourselves for competition but also the oracle’s security. That extra dayContinue reading “Amicae Usque ad Aras: Part Two, Cont.”

Winter Soups: Lemon Chicken French Onion Soup

I know it’s not winter anymore, but…this was just too serendipitous not to post. Sometimes recipe ideas come together sheerly because of what you have to hand, and this is one of those instances. It started with Ina Garten’s Lemon Chicken with Croutons recipe, my go-to roast-chicken recipe because of the bang/buck ratio: you stickContinue reading “Winter Soups: Lemon Chicken French Onion Soup”

Amicae Usque ad Aras, Part Two

Dionysia The year following my hosioster was the best of my life. It might not have looked like it from a distance: I killed at least two people; I was beaten badly a dozen times, twice so badly I was in bed for a week; I was told to my face on multiple occasions thatContinue reading “Amicae Usque ad Aras, Part Two”

Amicae Usque ad Aras

Part 1: Phemonoe I was with the Pythia the morning that Archon attacked her. Though nothing like that had happened during her ten years in office, it didn’t come as a complete surprise. Archon came in drunk and belligerent–bellowing like a bull through the sanctuary on his way in about being kept waiting. But thereContinue reading “Amicae Usque ad Aras”