cabin fever ...

Being that my dad was a teacher, there were always lots of descriptions thrown around during this time of year to describe why the kids in his class were bouncing off of the ceilings. Even though I am way past the age when I should be diagnosed with one of the "fevers" I have to admit that I am itching for Christmas vacation! I can't wait to put up the lights, hang the stockings, go and see Santa, put up a tree, drink egg nog and cider, put on a CD of Bing Crosby, watch White Christmas on a Sunday afternoon while wrapping Christmas presents, watch the snow fall, go for a drive to look at other people's lights, stop in front of the house where the old lady rocks for hours on her front porch, and the other one with the bubble machine where parents drop off their kids to sit on some strange man's lap - ok that is weird - debate the existence of three kings vs. a whole bunch of kinda smart guys, dodge the Christmas tree planted in the middle of town, slip on the ice, pull out the long johns from the hall closet, and basically remember that some of the best things in life are the celebrations and traditions we carry with us.

cooking for scientists ...

so, I am not a scientist, but I am what one (one being my mother ) might refer to as an anal-retentive cook. I like things precise and if the recipe calls for the bacon to be in bits than, I want those bits to be uniform. (Ok I might not be that bad, but I must admit the uniformity of the bacon bits did ensure that the bacon was evenly distributed throughout the salad. And, grating the hard boiled eggs provided the perfect dusting of egg.) I digress. The cooking site: cooking for engineers is a fun site for those of us who believe that cooking is as much a science as it is an art form (not that either are mutually exclusive.) So, check it out and let me know what you think - and if you need tips for creating egg dust, let me know : )

1000 places to see before you die - #6

sometimes, places worth seeing can be right in your own backyard. Vienna Teng reminded me of this last night while she sang "Shasta." Growing up so close to this mountain, I often overlook its splendor and magic. So, here is a photo of what it looks like today - thanks to ShastaCam. And, here are a few lines from Vienna's song:

"and you're thinking about clouds the color of fire
and the scent of an orange peel
the way Mt. Shasta explodes into windshield view
and your hands steady on the wheel

and you're thinking about how someone died that day
the you that was so carefully planned
but then again maybe this life is like a sleeping mountain
waking up to shape the land"