Schadenfreude

I love reading books where I encounter either words, thoughts, or names that I don't know. My mother was a schoolteacher and when you asked her what a word meant, she would always say,"Look it up." So I got into the habit early and it stuck. Currently I am reading Olive Kitteridge, a novel by Elizabeth Strout that won a Pulitzer Prize. I tell you this not because that is why I chose it, but to let you know others think this book is good. And it is a good read. I really like Strout's style of introducing a character by mentioning things that happened in the past in a familiar way, like you already know about this person from prior reading. Before I caught on that she was employing this device I thought I was spacing out, and tried to go back and re-read the salient passages. I am intrigued with writing that is unexpected, keeps me on my toes, and then makes me allow the author to let the character unfold gradually, like a slow seduction. If I were being tested on this baby, I would go back and read it again when I was done. I may do that anyway. But I digress, back to the word schadenfreude. Apparently I have been asleep at the switch, because when I looked it up, I found out that this word has been featured in The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, Two and a Half Men, West Wing, Boston Legal and a song in the musical Avenue Q. No, I don't watch these shows nor have been to the musical, but when a word has been out there that much, one thinks (I think) one should know it. Well, Wikipedia was the place to turn. The definition is pleasure derived from the misfortune of others, and in the novel, that concept is brought to life in a conversation between two bitter women. It seems less sinister when illustrated by a Peanuts comic strip. However, my research did uncover that the habit of dwelling with enjoyment on evil was picked out by the medieval Church as a sin know as morose delectation. Now that sounds really bad, like if you don't atone for that straightaway you are going to hell. Leave it to the Church to find a way to make a sin sound as evil as possible. Of course, that was their job. The Social Comparison Theory was developed from this thinking, which essentially says that when people around us have had bad luck, we look better to ourselves. All I know is that when I have gained weight, other people who I previously thought as heavy look thinner. I don't think that is what they are talking about. Wikipedia can't stay on topic any better than I can, not that this is a problem for me. The posting went onto talk about portmanteau. Ever hear of that? Not me. Portmanteau describes two words blended to make one. Like breakfast + lunch=brunch, Labrador+poodle=Labradoodle, Brad+Angelina=Brangelina, Sharon+Tony=Sharony.

So where is the Italian word of the day? It is "Buonpormeriggio" and means "Good Afternoon."

Buongiorno

Buongiorno. I want to learn Italian and figure if I can begin by learning the vocabulary, I will be on my way.

This morning gifted me with a sighting of a small, red fox sneaking through the forsythia in my side yard. The wildlife in my backyard continues to amaze and infuriate me. Yesterday my husband and I chased the same buck and doe twice. There are seedlings missing from the garden by the mailbox and the newly planted hosta have been munched. I planted more seedlings this morning. I had started zinnias, hollyhocks, sunflowers, cosmos, pumpkins, and tomatoes. I did not mark the little peat pots and so I think I have planted some tomatoes by the mailbox. Should be interesting if any of them survive. Toward that end I got out the netting that I had purchased to protect the tomato plants on my deck from being pecked by the birds. I covered the seedling and hostas, fingers crossed. I used to garden intensively but got discouraged when I couldn't keep up with the damage that my animal visitors dealt. I guess I am ready once more to wage the war. On the bright side I just counted 51 tomatoes on the plants on my deck. One plant is a patio tomato plant, then there are 2 Early Girls and 3 Yellow Zebras. They are all organic and are thriving.

The wild raspberries are fruiting up and I have found some small wild strawberries that the chipmunks have missed. The mint is beginning to wander into the lawn, and that is okay with me. Think of how great it will smell when the grass gets cut! My herb garden has seen better days and my lavender disappeared after a particularly bad winter a few years ago. I am going to have to replace that, because deer leave lavender alone, as they don't appreciate the fragrance.

This weekend among other things I got back to knitting my shawl. I could have mad some real headway if I could have brought my needles into the Stamford Superior Court last Thursday when I had Jury Duty, but they consider them a weapon. Above is the beginning spinning I did yesterday of wool roving. The roving is on the left and looks like shiny white cotton, next is the hand spindle and last on the lower right is a small amount of finished yarn. The picture on the right is an update on the seaweed shawl. It is coming along nicely and I can see it being worn with black, accented by gold hoop earrings.

As soon as I get into one project I can see the end in my mind's eye and cannot wait to begin the next. Tomorrow I think I shall introduce you to Olive.

Ciao.

Man in the Mirror

Wow. Yesterday must have been a crazy day in heaven. I was so saddened by the passing of Farrah Fawcett, but then Michael Jackson! It is being said that, for a large segment of the population, he was the soundtrack of their lives. I think his music, for me, is an underlying motif. When presented with a MJ song, a vivid memory unfolds within my mind of who I was and where I was in my life.

I can remember when the J5 popped onto the music and culture scene.
He was a tiny dude with a powerful voice and presence. No only did change the music of the day, but also the moves. He was fantastic.

Michael has been quoted lately as saying that he wanted to write music to change the world. This morning I watched the Man in the Mirror video. I love its message because it is in accord with my own thinking, the only person I have power to change is myself, and the Gandhian philosophy to which I ascribe, be the change you wish to see in the world. "I see the kids in the street, with not enough to eat, who am I to be blind pretending not to see their needs...You gotta get it right while you've got the time, 'cause when you close your heart then you close your mind...If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change."
The video is a montage of images, beginning with the nuclear test explosion, the Baker test, from Operation Crossroads at the Bikini Atoll in 1946. This was to be a series to nuclear tests to determine the effect of nuclear weapons on naval ships. It was sparked by a statement made in August 1945 by Senator Brien McMahon, "In order to test the destructive powers of the atomic bomb against naval vessels, I would like to see these Japanese naval ships taken to sea and an atomic bomb dropped on them." It was the end of WWII and I am sure there was an emotional valance that helped carry this idea forward.


Brien McMahon was an interesting fellow. Born in Norwalk, CT in 1903, he graduated from Norwalk High School, went to Fordham, and then Yale Law. He practiced law in Norwalk with Keough and Candee, and then became a city judge, but gave it up for a U.S. Senate seat. He authored the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, which became know as the McMahon Act, proposed the idea that later became the Peace Corps., acted as Federal prosecutor during the conspiracy trail between the coal barons of Kentucky and the Harlan County coal miners to enforce the right of labor to form unions, and even ran for the presidency on a platform that proposed seeking world peace and ending atomic weapons. Looks like he came full circle. He had a daughter, Pat McMahon, who would often be referenced in conversation with my family, "Oh you know, Pat McMahon, blah, blah, blah..." His mother Genie was also often mentioned. But I digress.


The video shows pictures of people who did change the world for better; Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Robert R. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Lech Wolesa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and for worse; Hitler, Muammar aL-Gaddafi. Images made me recall how I waited with baited breath for baby Jessica McClure to be pulled from the well she had fallen into in Midland, TX. My own daughter was just her age at the time. When she emerged from that hole in the arms of the paramedic, it was seeing more than a little girl saved. It was witnessing the goodness of people, in this case, an ordinary man who suffered from claustrophobia and didn't mention it because he was committed to rescuing a child. Pictures from Farm Aid and Live Aid juxtaposed with those of children of the Ethiopian famine, photos of Jimmy Carter, Menachem Begin and Anwar El Sadat at the Camp David Accord that led to the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty, people who made a difference.
Michael, I want you back, ooh, ooh baby.
There are lots of people who make a difference every day, such as the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, http://www.ittybittykittycommittee/.

Currently they are involved in a fund raising effort to support The Humane Society. Obviously somebody helped the kitties get the right size and color phone. Kitties helping kitties.
Ciao kitties, ciao friends.

The Judicial System

First off, I would like to state for the record, that cloves are not an effective remedy for ants. I am moving on to bay leaves and will report back my findings later this week.

Secondly, I did have to go to Jury Duty. The newly constructed Stamford Superior Court is beautiful. One enters into the building via an atrium of marble, which has carved into it thoughts about justice. As this is where one must queue up and wait to be searched, there is time to read the writings on the wall and, actually, the experience is inspiring. At 8:30 a.m. instead of calculating how to get out of the obligation or cursing the fates that put me there to begin with, I found myself feeling honored to have the opportunity to participate in a system which holds individuals rights so dear. I was not feeling as inspired at 12:50, when I and another woman were the only 2 jurors left in the jury room. The attorney for the plaintiff came out and told us that they were supposed to break at 1:00 and then talk to a judge. That is when I threw my head back and moaned, "This is the first day of my vacation." After concluding that the other woman and I really wanted to get on with it, the attorneys agreed to work thru lunch. I was the last person to voir dire and apparently I eliminated myself quite quickly. I was told the nature of the case had to do with a man riding a bicycle who was chased by a dog, fell off the bike and hurt himself and was now suing the dog's owner. How Greenwich. That is when I rolled my eyes. It did not go unnoticed. There were questions, such as "Do you realize that the State of Connecticut has a law that a dog's owner is responsible for any damage the dog creates?" and "Do you think you would use the law to consider the facts, even if you did not agree with the law?" He was really getting to the heart of the matter. I replied "I would hope I would. I would try to the best of my ability. But my son did say that he would never want me on a jury because I have my own crazy thoughts." I was then asked to set outside the room and momentarily the attorneys came out and advised me that I was excused. They informed me that it was the roll of the eyes that had done it for them, but one joked that his mother had just been on a jury and he could not believe she was not excused. I guess that's the way it is.

On a more somber note, I am very sad to hear of the passing of Farrah Fawcett. She was a very courageous, beautiful woman who raised some very good questions about the accessibility to health care treatment options for cancer patients. I particularly love this photo of her and I recently brought a copy to my hairdresser with a request for a similar cut. And may angels carry thee to thy rest.

Ciao for now.

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

Tile ants/sugar ants. Ants by any other name would still be a pain. Research from

http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-sugar-ants.htm suggests putting out cloves or bay leaves to keep them away. Certainly worth a try. Every year about this time the ants return, dry me crazy for about 3 weeks, and then, as quickly as they came, disappear. When my beautiful daughter was small, she came to me and asked for some bread and a bowl of water. When queried why, she replied "There is an ant at the back door and I think it must be hungry." I reminded her of that yesterday and commented that it was probably she that started the ant problem. "Yeah, that's right considering our house is like 70 years old." She is always one with a snappy retort.

I work on a pretty sweet street, Greenwich Avenue. It is crowded with posh shops and elegant eateries. My office is housed in what once was the first high school in the town. The building has lots of interesting architectural details, with egg and dart moldings and large, imposing stairways. I actually can't complain as my office has a water view. This, of course, disregards the 1950s faux paneling that covers walls in the conference room and the rabbit warren corridors which lead to my door. But today I will leave all this behind for awhile. The beginning of summer vacation...for Jury Duty. Yes. The Summons dictated that present myself on 6/25/09. Did they check the school calender? I am hoping fervently that I check their web site tonight and find out that they really don't need me. Okay. Everybody send positive vibes in that direction. But if I do have to show up, I think that I will choose to believe that a moment of serendipity has taken place.

Speaking of serendipity, when taking under consideration the notion of a blog, I thought that if I undertook it, I would want it to be fresh and not just copied from prominent sites. So I get in the car this morning and tune to XM156 for the Gayle King show. The thought occurs to me that Gayle is always current and fresh and maybe I may get some ideas from my blog from her. I had to laugh when Oprah comes on and announces that she finally has convinced Galye to take 2 weeks off and so for the next 12 days the programs will be repeats. What is the universe saying to me? Okay, so you want to be fresh, then be it and don't think you will use Gayle as a generator.

On Wednesdays I often go to http://www.freewillastrology.com/ to see what Rob Brezsney has to say to me. This week's prediction makes it seem that I am going to be pretty busy clearing up karmic debt, replacing bad habits with good, and removing reasons why I can't do more of what I love. I thought I was going to be on vacation Rob!

Sending positive thoughts your way for today. Ciao.

The beginning....

The Sweetness of Doing Nothing



Good morning. Day 1 of my new blog. Not that I had an old one. Alas! My tomatoes are hanging perilously from their yellowing branches due to too much rain. The animals have yet to get to them. I am sure the battle lies ahead. I live in suburbia, but really in a more urban than suburban setting.

The animals that have visited my turf have included ring-necked pheasants, deer, raccoon, opossum, turkey, red and grey squirrel, red fox, cotton-tail bunny, coyote, snapping turtle, ducks, red-tail hawk, salamander, toads, frogs, snakes, chipmunks, along with neighborhood cats who stalk the birds. This morning Skittles, the charcoal and white cat from next door stretched out on the railing of the deck, surveying his kingdom. He competes for this territory with Zephyr, a tabby from across the street and a new, tiny marmalade kitty. I am hoping that a volunteer kitty patrol will keep the birds from pecking at my tomatoes as they ripen.


My latest knitting endeavor has me imagining that I am knitting waves. The pattern is Feather and Fan Shawl from Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle. The fantastic hand painted wool and silk yarn is from Yarntopia Treasures in colorway Seaweed, a mixture of aquamarine, desert green, lime green and olive. The silk makes the yarn shimmer and not only is the visual effect spectacular, but also the sensation as the yarn pulls through fingers. I am recently obsessed with knitting and have also toyed with the idea of spinning my own yarn. These two avocations have waxed and waned in my past, and in fact my sister's comment "You need to get a life. I met a friend of yours and was embarrassed to tell her you were at home knitting chickens." help me direct my thoughts to graduate school. That being accomplished and a career established,I am a school psychologist, I have returned to knitting chickens and other things. The summer is upon me and, as I work in a school system, I shall officially be on vacation. You've gotta love a job that is full-time on a part-time schedule.

There is an Italian saying, il dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing. For me, I am not certain that I would want to take that literally. I am sure that confined to a sentence of nothingness would be akin to me of being doomed to suffer one of Dante's circles of hell. However, released from the daily responsibility of a job for the summer, ah the possibilities are endless. For example, making potato salad with gnocci. My daughter-in-law, Geraldine, prepared this for Father's Day and it was met with raves:

Rachel Ray's Not Potato Salad

Ingredients
2 pounds gnocchi
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ribs celery from the heart, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
1 small jar marinated mushrooms, drained (4 ounces)
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped (a couple of handfuls)
Preparation
Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil the gnocchi.Once the water is boiling, drop the gnocchi into the pot and cook them for 3 minutes, or until they float.While the gnocchi are cooking, grab a large mixing bowl and whisk together the Dijon mustard and white wine vinegar. Stream the olive oil into the bowl while whisking, then season the dressing with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add your veggies and parsley to the mixing bowl.Drain the gnocchi and toss them, still hot, into the mixing bowl. You can serve the salad now or let it chill out in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to develop more of the flavors. Freshen it up with an extra drizzle of olive oil when you are ready to serve.


Yeah, I know that olive oil has been highlighted with a yellow background, but it is Day 1 and I can't, for the life of me, get it to change. I will have to confer with my daughter, blogger par excellence, and would cite her blog here, if I knew how. I am now obviously beyond my technical element so, ciao.