... Walker Percy

Binx Boiling is on a search: "The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life."

He questions his question: "Am I in my search a hundred miles ahead of my fellow Americans or a hundred miles behind them? That is to say: Have 98% of Americans already found what I seek or are they so sunk in everydayness that not even the possibility of a search has occurred to them?"

Sometimes the droll of life seems death: "I hear myself or someone else saying things like: 'In my opinion the Russian people are a great people, but-' or 'Yes, what you say about the hypocrisy of the North is unquestionably true. However-' and I think to myself this is death. Lately it is all I can do to carry on such everyday conversations."

One of the few signs of life he finds in the world is hatred: "This is another thing about the world which seems upside down: all the friendly and likeable people seem dead to me, only the haters seem alive."

He sees the irony in the desire for uniqueness: "Everyone on This I Believe believes in the uniqueness and the dignity of the individual. I have noticed, however, that the believers are far from unique themselves, they are in fact as alike as peas in a pod."

His cousin, Kate, discovers that one does not have to BE anything: "One minute I am straining every nerve to be the sort of person I was expected to be and shaking in my boots for fear I would fail- and the next minute to know with the calmest certitude that even if I could succeed and become your joyous and creative person, that it was not good enough for me and that I had something better."

Yet she strives to believe: "What I want is to believe in someone completely and then do what he wants me to do. If God were to tell me: Kate, here is what I want you to do; you get out of this train right now and go over there to that corner and stand there for the rest of your life and speak kindly to people- you think I would not do it? You think I would not be the happiest girl in Jackson, Mississippi. I would."


"He is a moviegoer, though of course he does not go to movies"

Are you a moviegoer?

"...the specific character of despair is precisely this: it is unaware of being despair." Soren Kierkegaard

... Dark Chocolate Goodness

It lowers blood pressure. It's full of antioxidants that gobble up free radicals. Moreover, it just plain tastes good. Mm. I'm eating a delectable dark chocolate truffle from Harry and David right now (thanks Kelsey).

I got an email this week from my "Friends at Mars, Incorporated". It was in response to my plea for the return of Dark Chocolate M&M's. They were here for limited time to promote the Stars Wars movie (return to the 'dark' side). Why do they do that? Limited time. Well, I don't pretend to have anything to do with their decision, but I am here to inform you that **da tah da daaaa** Dark Chocolate M&Ms will be making a permanent return July 2006. *Raaahh* *Cheeerrr* *Yeaaaah*.

I sign off now to compose an email to Kit Kat.

... Birthday Cake

I first tasted this cake about 8 years ago when a gal in the office made it for my birthday. She found the recipe in the newspaper and I just had to have a copy. I'm not a traditional cake fan. I find them too sweet. This cake, however, is sweetened with fruit and moistened with the juices. A yum combination. Marie has made it for my birthday in years past and this year I made it for my moms birthday. The family raved and requested the recipe and I am happy to oblige:

1 box yellow cake mix
2 pkgs instant french vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cooking oil
11oz can mandarin orange sections, drained, reserve juice
20oz can crushed pineapple in natural juice, drained, reserve juice
9oz container cool whip, thawed

- Heat over to 350. Grease and flour three 8 inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1 pkg pudding mix, eggs, and oil. Beat until well mixed. Fold in mandarin orange sections.
- Pour in cake pans and bake for 30 minutes or until cake is set. Pour reserved orange and pineapple juice over warm layers. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Turn out on racks to finish cooling.
- In a bowl, combine cool whip, remaining pkg of pudding mix, and pineapple; beat until thick. Frost cake layers with pineapple mixture; assemble layers and frost top and sides. Refrigerate until time to serve.

... Home

I love to travel. Always have. I've been fortunate enough to travel a lot in my life. There is something about the unexpected. About the new. About an unfamiliar land filled with unfamiliar people. About the adventure that awaits you with each bend in the road. I like being reminded the world is larger than my eyes can see and imagination can conjure up. Traveling is a passion. It fills me with excitement. It does. So you may be surprised when I share that one of the highlights of traveling for me is coming home. I have two reasons. Reason one: There is a moment when I first open the door to my home where it is new to me. When I smell the familiar fragrance & see the layout of the room for the first time, again. It lasts only a split second before the normal, the established, floods in and, sigh, I am home. It's magical in a way. Don't understand what I mean? Try looking at a familiar room through a mirror. Go ahead, do it. Does it look different to you? It's something like that. Reason two: I like being away so I can appreciate being back. If you don't have home, you aren't really away. It's grounding, home is. Don't you think?

I arrived home late last night after spending a week in Michigan. Perhaps you were expecting something more exotic. Yet it is still an unfamiliar land filled with unfamiliar people. I can hardly believe I lived there, it's been so long. 13 years. In all that time, this is the longest visit I've had. And a week is a long time. Especially when you are without the internet. My mom asked me one day why I was carrying my laptop with me everywhere we went. In my mind flashed a bumper sticker I saw on a jeep once "It's a jeep thing, you wouldn't understand". How could my mother, who has yet to own a computer, understand the itch to check my email account, or my friends blog for the latest posts, or simply google Ryan Seacrest in order to answer the "how old is he?" question someone threw out. "I'm hoping to find internet access" is my simple response. Thankfully she doesn't ask me to explain why. Sadly, I never do find internet access.

My mom had a birthday on Thursday. That is why I went home- to spend it with her and the family. The family. I'm still in the process of meeting and getting to know my extended family. We only started having family get togethers and reunions a few years ago. I think it is the best decision we've made as a family. I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them all. It's somehow reassuring to find out your "quirks" are really "family traits" after all. You know how I never quite manage to say what I mean? Yep, "family trait". You think I talk fast or a lot? I'm claiming"family trait" on that one too.

My Aunt has a Bridal Boutique in our hometown. One day that may come in handy for me, but this week it came in handy for my cousin who was in need of a prom dress. Between lasagna and birthday cake, we walk to the shop where we have a private fashion show of all this years styles. You have to imagine 10 women ooohing and ahhhing at each gown my cousin tried on. Me snapping photos like a fiend. Sisters joking about dress sizes. Each of us breaking down colors and styles and voting on favorites as if it were the most important night of a 17 year old girls life. Well, I suppose it is, isn't it? I sit back and remember shopping for my prom gown and smile. I hope I remember this night just as vividly. It is fun.

... A Restaurant Critic

Written by former New York Times food critic Ruth Reichl, "Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise", is one of the most fun books I've read in quite a long time. Credit must go to Rebekah for the find. When she presented the book to me on my birthday, she said she felt it was THE book for me as it combined everything I love: New York, Food, and Disguises. She was right. The story begins as Ruth leaves the LA Times for a job at NY Times, and ends as she is offered a job as Editor in Chief for Gourmet Magazine where she remains today. In that time, you get to share meals with her as she eats her way through New Yorks finest restaurants, as well as a few overrated ones.

Daniel: ****
Tavern on the Green: *

The disguises come into play when Ruth realizes that she is receiving preferential treatment. Her response? Elaborate characters are formed armed with an alias, wigs, costume, & even an entire fabricated life. While the characters are fun, the real pleasures are found in the descriptions Ruth gives to the food.

"We ate a cool, bright summer salad- lengths of crimson watermelon interlaced with shiny strips of avocado. Pale lavender rings of calamari were woven across the top so that the slick avocado bumped up against the crunch of the watermelon an then collided with the slippery slices of squid. Encountering them in your mouth, you couldn't help focusing on the sensation of texture."

This was only a salad folks. Consider it a taste of what you'll find when you read the book for yourself. Garlic and Sapphires: ***

... Homeownership

This past Christmas I closed on a charming cottage in the heart of West Ghent. I wasn't looking for a house, but if I were, this would have been all that I hoped for. I realized how kind the Lord was to give me this gift I hadn't even thought to ask for.

Built in 1928 with a rather large yard and an enormous oak tree towering over the house, it has already required more work than my first house of which I was the original owner (no repairs) and paid a condo fee (no maintenance). I am, however, thoroughly enjoying it. I'm enjoying trimming the hedges, picking up leaves, pruning the landscaping, weeding the garden, tightening the glass door knobs, hanging the curtain rods, installing the front porch light, picking up leaves (yes, more leaves). It's all so satisfying. And surprisingly easy to be honest. I borrowed a drill from my fellow home owner friend Rebekah and while sharing with her all the great things I've done around the house with it, she excitedly shared my amazement and said "I don't know why boys are so proud of themselves". haha. Really though, I JUST installed a light fixture. We're talking electrical tape, wire cutters, + wire, ground wire, etc. And, 15 minutes later: Let there be light.

I'm also enjoying the opportunities the house has afforded to entertain guests & to be a haven for friends needing a moment away. The neighborhood is peaceful and inhabitants shockingly friendly. Even the trains that daily creep by are relaxing to me. Though not relaxing to all- my friend Kelsey who was visiting from California dreamed of earthquakes the entire first night she stayed over. :-)

I'll leave you with a few shots of my just-beginning-to-bloom yard. Compliments of prior owner.

... C.S. Lewis

"Those of us who have been true readers all our lives seldom realize the enormous extension of our being we owe to authors. We realize it best when we talk with an unliterary friend. He may be full of goodness and good sense by he inhabits a tiny world. In it, we should be suffocated. The man who is contented to be only himself, and therefore less a self, is in prison. My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others." C.S. Lewis An Experiment in Criticism

I imagine much of my posting will be about books... or food... but, Iots of quotes and such. I can relate to my friend Jack in that I "see through those of others". I've enjoyed a life time of reading... of letting authors & theologians, teachers & artists become my friends and therefore help to mold me into the person I'm becoming. The world is huge, it branches out far beyond my limited knowledge or understanding. I like being connected in any way I can... through literature, photographs, travel, learning. I hunger for it. I ask lots of questions. And I google everything else.

So, join me if you like. I always love company. And, I promise, it won't be all that serious. If you know me at all, you know laughter and joking are common place in my world.

Signed,
The Student