Writes & Bites

October 24, 2012
by Kat 6 Comments

Are You Ready to Make Some Waves?

I watch day in and day out the bickering, sniping, and spats between political sides, not only from politicians, but between friends and family, during this presidential campaign and it fills me with sadness for our humanity. We think we have come so far when, in reality, it’s just another form of racism. It’s just another battle of diversity. What happened if we all started working towards a solution instead of blaming each other for the problem? I bet the world might change!

Imagine that….

Two posts that I read today echoed my thoughts about the whole damn mess. Brice Maiurro, blogger at Flashlight City Blues, was poignant in his hope for humanity and how we’re missing the crucial point.

i know there’s a big battle going on out there for the american throne, but while people are out there trying to choose coke or pepsi, trying to sway the wind in the direction they prefer, i think we’re missing out on something important. sometimes i think we get so hooked on foreign policy, we forget the most miniscule of domestic policy. how to talk to one another. i’m not the first one to say it, and i won’t be the last.

It’s as though Civil War breaks out every four years with the presidential election. The system’s broke and crying out, “Fix me! Heal me! Hear me!” There is so much senseless bloodshed, tears given, hearts broken, angry words thrown that instead of paying attention, I want to bury my head in the sand. But I can’t and I shouldn’t and I won’t. It’s not a luxury you and I can afford.

Maiurro has a unique and refreshing proposition – what about 4 or 5 people running for the presidency? There are ideas, thoughts, movements for change that are not being heard in our country because of the duopoly of the Democratic/Republican system. Maiurro thinks it’s time to “mix things up a bit.” I agree. The system is broken and needs to be rebuilt.

Susan Daniels shared a free verse poem titled, “for my neighbor with the nobama sign,” at her blog, Susan Daniels Poetry. A striking, moving piece of work that highlights the crumbling political system. It has become more than just two parties debating…it is now all-out war, and we are in the middle of the fight.

but this place where violence swallows speech
or speech is lost in fists cannot be my country
can it? do we need peacekeepers
to count our ballots & defend our polls?…

…but bullets through windows

or beating a man for his Romney sign
is not speech, or an issue of right or left

& again i am back to that line of blood
between voice & crime, treason

or incitement to treason

that line that is not politics but hate running loose
where guns & fists strike more pointed blows than fingers
flipping levers lightly behind drawn curtains,
such a simple thing, with more weight than blood & lead

Seems the demise of politics is striking a chord among the people. Maybe instead of assuming they know what we want, the politicians should actually listen. And we should listen and HEAR each other. It’s the least we can do to stem the tide of blood, before our humanity is completely lost.

Are we crazy for thinking we can change the world? Of course! But without the so-called crazies, the world will never change.

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs

Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. Sound familiar? It should…courtesy of our acting President. Regardless of what you believe or feel about Obama, he’s right about change. And you know it. Now all we have to do is live up to it.

As Mother Teresa put it, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

Are you ready to make some waves?

October 23, 2012
by Kat 3 Comments

I Have a Puerto Rican Husband, a Hawaiian Filipino Wife, and a German Wife

I have a Puerto Rican husband, a Hawaiian/Filipino wife, and a German wife.

Okay…, not really, but two of my dearest friends, husband and wife, Hector and Malia, I consider another part of my family. We always joke that Hector is my Puerto Rican husband and Malia is my Hawaiian/Filipino wife. I met Malia almost 6 years ago when we worked together at the same mental health agency. It was friendship at first sight (it really does happen!).

Malia and Hector
Photo credit: Malia 2012

The German wife is my partner, Inge, who will probably kill me when she realizes I posted a picture of her. Ce la vie! Besides…I can’t not share this gorgeous photo with you.

Kat and Inge 2012

When we all get together, it’s quite the blending of nationalities (I’m Irish, British, and Cherokee). It’s never a cause for concern, mostly a source of amusement among ourselves. For instance…

A couple weeks ago, the four of us were meeting at Diner 248 for dinner. Malia, Inge, and I were already seated and we were waiting on Hector to show up. He roared into the parking lot on his motorcycle (it was that loud). We were seated around the corner, out of his line of view when he walked into the restaurant. He asked the hostess about us and said he was looking for his wife. The hostess told him that there weren’t any single women in the restaurant. The only group she knew of us was us (three women) and she didn’t think that was who he was looking for. He insisted that it was, but the hostess made him look around the other part of the restaurant to make sure. She didn’t believe him! When Hector and the waitress walked to our side of the restaurant, he saw us, waved, and told the hostess, “There’s my wives!” We busted out laughing as the hostess’s confused look, then she hurried away.

It’s always joy and mischief when we get together! No exceptions. Two weekends ago, Inge and I invited Hector and Malia over for a casual relaxed dinner. Considering our ethnic melting pot, we decided to have an ethnic meal – a blending of our nationalities. Okay…so technically we blended German and Syrian (none of us are Syrian), but that’s besides the point.

German Sort-of Mashed Potatoes

The German Sort-of Mashed Potatoes were a blending of two recipes that were a more typical German Potato Salad. This was a warm, tangy, creamy, and rich version. Lots of zing and comfort. German potato salad is known for being served warm with a vinegar base, not mayonnaise. Of course, even though Inge is German, doesn’t like German potato salad. She prefers the mayo (see what living in America does to you?). But the rest of us loved it!

German Mini Bratwurst

Falafel

None of us are Syrian, Greek, or anything of the like. But we love Syrian food. Hence, the falafel, handmade by Hector. I’m going to beg him for the recipe.

Yogurt Dill Sauce

Hector brought tahini sauce that he made for the falafel, but I also made a yogurt dill sauce. I more of a creamy sauce girl. Tahini, for me, is like chalk. Hector loved the sauce so much, he devoured most of it and I packed the rest in a to-go container so he could take it home. You could eat it on a shoe, it’s that good. Oh, the cup? It’s a Bailey’s (yes, the liquor) special edition line. I fell in love with them so much after seeing them on another blog (can’t remember which one), that I had to find them on eBay and buy them.

Recipes

German Sort-of Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 pounds white potatoes, quartered
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

1. Toss the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover generously with water and season generously with salt. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve.

2. Coat a large straight-sided saute pan lightly with olive oil. Toss in the bacon and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the bacon is brown and crispy, toss in the onions and cook them until they are very soft and aromatic, 7 to 8 minutes.

3. Add the stock, vinegar, mustard, and smoked paprika. Toss in the potatoes when they are still warm and cook on low until the liquid has absorbed into the potatoes. Taste and season with salt if needed. Toss in the parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: The potatoes aren’t mashed, but as you mix them together with the seasonings and stocks, they will start to clump and break apart. It’s okay! That’s the “sort-of” mashed potato part.

Yogurt Dill Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Stir yogurt, 2 tablespoons dill, garlic and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

October 18, 2012
by Kat 2 Comments

Fill The Shelves - A Great New Initiative To Help Underfunded School Libraries

Reblogged from David Gaughran:

Chronic under-funding of school libraries has led to the tragic spectacle of empty shelves, leaving children with nothing to read; but a new initiative called Fill The Shelves hopes to change all that.

This story starts in a Pennsylvania K-8 school called Pittsburgh Manchester, where the librarian - Sheila May-Stein - decided to do something about the empty shelves in her own school (pictured left - that was the…

Read Harper Lee’s Letter to Oprah About Her Love of Books

In 2006, Harper Lee, author of American classic To Kill a Mockingbird, wrote a letter to Oprah about her experience growing up with reading: first listening to family members reading aloud, then hunting down and trading for books, and later connecting with old friends over what books they had been reading. The letter, which we found courtesy of the always-inspiring Letters of Note, is a touching meditation on the reading life that we totally identify with, but in a somewhat prescient manner (of course) Lee also stresses the importance of reading actual books.

She writes, “Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods, and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books. Instant information is not for me. I prefer to search library stacks because when I work to learn something, I remember it. And, Oprah, can you imagine curling up in bed to read a computer? Weeping for Anna Karenina and being terrified by Hannibal Lecter, entering the heart of darkness with Mistah Kurtz, having Holden Caulfield ring you up — some things should happen on soft pages, not cold metal.”

Convenient as our modern technology may be, we have to admit that she has a point. Read the entire letter here.

What are your thoughts?

October 15, 2012
by Kat 12 Comments

NaNoWriMo 16 Days and Counting!

NANOWRIMO IS 16 DAYS AND COUNTING!

It’s that time of year again, my friends – National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and I did it again. I signed up for the wicked craziness of trying to write 50,000 words in 30 days during November. I’ve mentioned before on this blog that I have insanity issues.

I didn’t quite make it last year, so this is my moon landing declaration for this year.

I’m an ‘official participant’ and on or before December 1st, I plan on being an ‘official winner.’

Take that, NaNoWriMo! While I didn’t succeed at the 50,000 words last year, it did give me the start to my mystery/crime thriller, Baby Brokers. I intend to use this year to keep going on the novel. Unless something else pops into my head at the time. Which we all know is quite likely to happen.

If you have any kind of story that has been lurking in the dark recesses of your brain, this is the perfect time to let it spill out. I highly recommend NaNoWriMo. Is your inner critic whispering…

I don’t have time.
I’m already over-worked!
I haven’t found time all year for writing so what makes me think now will work?
My novel idea isn’t good enough.
There’s a long holiday weekend in November and I have to cook, clean, travel, visit, watch football, or be a couch potato.

Take that evil little critic and stomp on him, or at least put him in a box, for the month of November and WRITE. Write without editing, without stopping, without breathing (okay, maybe not the last one, but you get the point). Don’t let your inner critic stop you from getting that story burning in your gut onto paper.

My advice? Participate in NaNoWriMo and let it all go. For once, it’s okay to do that. But don’t take pictures. I don’t want to see them.

Just write to write and let the words speak for themselves. You can edit it later, after December 1st.

So, what exactly is NaNoWriMo?

(directly from Nanowrimo.org)

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000-word (approximately 175-page) novel by 11:59:59 PM on November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

In 2011, we had 256,618 participants and 36,843 of them crossed the 50K finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

And I think you can, too!

To read about how NaNoWriMo works, click here.