mourningdove

PBS Cooking School

I read a great short essay in the New York Times today by food columnist Eric Kim, in which he calls himself a “Food Network Baby” who, along with others of his generation, learned to cook–and to enjoy food as culture–by watching Emeril Lagasse, Rachael Ray, and other TV chefs in the late 90s andContinue reading “PBS Cooking School”

Letter of Recommendation: Weleda

Weleda was founded in Switzerland in 1921 on the philosophy of putting as few and as natural ingredients as possible in beauty products. I’ve been using Weleda since I discovered their salt toothpaste at our local co-op a decade ago: I have sensitive teeth and weak gums, and the salt helps with that as muchContinue reading “Letter of Recommendation: Weleda”

Aikido and Rhetoric: Yin and Yang

Eight forces sustain creation:Movement and stillness,Solidification and fluidity,Extension and contraction,Unification and division. Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace What opposes unites, and the finest attunement stems from things bearing in opposite directions, and all things come about by strife. Heraclitus, fragment 8 (Barnes) Aikido and rhetoric are both arts specifically designed to harmonize opposition, whichContinue reading “Aikido and Rhetoric: Yin and Yang”

Ceramics Saturdays: Edmund de Waal

I just finished reading Edmund de Waal’s White Road, a poetic and gripping personal history of porcelain–from its discovery in China to its infection of the rest of the colonial world, first through feverish collection and later through emulation as enterprising potters in Germany, England, and even the Americas attempted to reverse-engineer the “white gold”Continue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Edmund de Waal”

Aikido and Rhetoric: As above, below

The Art of Peace functions everywhere on earth, in realms ranging from the vastness of space down to the tiniest plants and animals. The life force is all-pervasive and its strength, boundless. The Art of Peace allows us to tap into that tremendous reserve of universal energy. Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace What weContinue reading “Aikido and Rhetoric: As above, below”

Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up (words, books, and images)

Some really stunning stuff here: A much-more-fun version of the OED’s “first use” annotations for words: Time Traveler by Merriam-Webster. Look up your favorite word and see when it was first used in print; or, scroll back through some recent neologisms to see, for instance, when “spear phishing” became a thing (2004). I feel likeContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up (words, books, and images)”

Capsule Pantry

I’ve done a couple of extended stays abroad for research and community work, and as I love to cook, this has presented me with the problem of how I can do so without investing in an expensive pantry that I am likely to have to throw out (or rehome with friends/neighbors). So, I’ve come upContinue reading “Capsule Pantry”

Koharu X Sia, “Elastic Heart”

This brought tears to my eyes, it’s so good.

Winter Harvest

No, this is all of it…. And those carrots are about 3 inches long. I can’t blame this on the RBQ, so I think it’s official that I’m a terrible gardener 🤣

Laziness and Efficiency

A friend and I were talking the other day about the word “lazy” and all the baggage it had in our families of origin. We were both from families that equated *doing* something all the time with virtue. We talked about the difference between resting and feeling unmotivated or exhausted. We talked about the differenceContinue reading “Laziness and Efficiency”