One Rare Bird

I Will Not Die An Unlived Life

I'm currently reading a book by Dawna Markova called I Will Not Die An Unlived Life, and this is the dedication:

"This book is dedicated to...those

who insist on breaking free of the limitations of their previous history,

who wish to love the life they live, and live a life they can love,

and

who are committed to serving the best of what can be possible."

If that's not enough of a clincher, Dawna then goes on to start the first chapter with this poem she wrote after her father died:

“I will not die an unlived life.

I will not live in fear

of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days,

to allow my living to open me,

to make me less afraid,

more accessible;

to loosen my heart

until it becomes a wing,

a torch, a promise.

I choose to risk my significance,

to live so that which came to me as seed

goes to the next as blossom,

and that which came to me as blossom,

goes on as fruit.”

And that's just the beginning! This book definitely gets an official place in the "permanent stack" next to my bed.

Soul Food

Prompt 26: Soul Food _{^{{via Reverb 10}}}

"What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?" (Author: Elise Marie Collins)

I love food, so this is a tough one for me. I could mention the pasta primavera I had last night with a glass of red wine and call it good. So good. But the first thing that comes to mind is the lamb sandwich and beer I had at Balthazaar's in Soho last November with Debey. Sandwiches aren't only my favorite food  (for their obvious versatility and style),  but I was with one of my dearest friends in a place I totally loved. There was something about New York that heightened my senses and brought awareness to every little thing. (I also don't travel much, which explains why it was so exciting and I keep bringing it up.) The entire trip was food for my soul, and that definitely includes the actual food. Even the over-priced, dried out hot dog from a street vendor in Time Square was good! 

And since we're talking about Soul Food I want to mention that almost anytime good food and good friends are involved, my soul is most definitely fed. There is also something about the extravagance of being alone with a good meal that really touches my soul as well.

The Story of Stuff

My aunt sent me this video several years ago and it's something I refer to over and over again in my daily life.  As annoying as the "green" movement can be sometimes, our consumer culture is even more annoying, and I love how Annie Leonard lays everything out and brings an understandable awareness to our throw-away culture without lording it over us in a trendy-hipster, eco-chic kind of way. I'd love to hear what you think...

The Story of Stuff

Crush of the Week: Zoe Pawlak

As a would-be artist myself I can't think of anyone who's artwork I'd love to replicate more than that of Zoe Pawlak. I have tried to paint in muted colors and realistic images, but I just can't seem to stay away from abstracts and color. Lots of color. And it appears, neither can Zoe. Her landscapes are to die for! I could look at her paintings for hours and never grow tired of them. This is one crush that makes me endlessly, colorfully happy...

"Zoe Pawlak is a contemporary artist known for her unique approach to form and colour. She works with a broad client base to create ambitious, site-specific commissions, while exhibiting her paintings in solo and group shows internationally. She is also a sought-after consultant and curator who draws innovative connections between today’s market and how buyers are collecting art."

 Thank you Zoe for being my Crush of the Week. I am truly inspired :) xo

{via The Jealous Curator}

Somewhere Only We Know

We all need a place in life that we share with one other person - a place where we expose our deepest and truest selves; a place unknown to anyone but the two of you. So Music Monday is dedicated to those secret moments, shared with someone you love, and to the pursuit opening ourselves up to another. Happy Monday!

Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn & John

Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Secret Garden by Bruce Springsteen

Whole Wheat Nectarine and Apple Pie

I'm back with another recipe from my new favorite cookbook, Apples for Jam. My kids picked this awesome desert (which originally called for apricots) from the "Orange" section of the cookbook, and I'm am proud to report it didn't last more than a day, and I literally couldn't button my jeans the next day...definitely a good sign. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Nectarine and Apple Pie

"You can use absolutely any fruit you like here - fresh figs are good. I use apple puree for the crust and then put apricots halves on top, but you can stick to all apples, strawberries, or nectarines, and plums are beautiful. You can serve this with one part Greek-style yogurt and one part lightly sweetened whipped cream with a couple of drops of vanilla extract stirred through. This is dripping with health, I feel - I love to have things like this in my kitchen when the kids ask for a snack."

Pastry:

• 1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 7 Tbl chilled butter, cut into cubes
• 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
• A few drops of vanilla extract

Filling:

• 2-3 apples
• 3 Tbl butter
• 2 Tbl light brown sugar
• 1 Tbl water
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 6-7 fresh nectarines, quartered, pits removed
• 3 Tbl superfine sugar

To make the pastry, put the flour, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Work it all together with your fingers until you have a sandy mixture. Add the egg, extra egg yolk, and vanilla, and carry on mixing until you have a smooth ball. Wrap it up in plastic wrap, flatten and put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes

Meanwhile, peel and core the apples, and cut them into chunks. Put half the butter in a nonstick pan and add the apple chunks, the brown sugar, and a tablespoon of water. Put the lid on and cook over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the apples collapse and turn slightly golden on the bottom. Stir in the cinnamon and squash the apples into a puree with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pastry on a sheet of parchment paper to a circle of about 12 to 13 inches, dusting with a little all purpose flour if necessary. Using the parchment paper, flip the pastry over into an ungreased 9 1/2-inch springform pan [you can use a regular cake or pie pan also]. Let it settle in  before peeling off the paper and pressing the pastry onto the bottom and sides of the pan. Don't worry if the pastry tears, just patch it and press the gaps together.

Spread the apples over the bottom and put the apricots on top. Scatter with superfine sugar, more or less, depending on the sweetness of your fruit. Dot with the rest of the butter, then fold the pastry edge in and over to cover the edge of the filling. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top of the fruit is golden brown in places, and the pastry crisp. Serve plain or with yogurt and whipped cream [or ice cream!]

(Serves 6-8).

One Photo, A Thousand Meanings

Prompt 25: Photo _{^{{via Reverb 10}}}

"Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you." (Author: Tracey Clark)

I know this image is a bit redundant but I think it best captures who I am. This was one of the last pictures I took during Face Week of my Unraveling course last year when I was almost ready to give up on the whole assignment. This image best captures the following aspects of my multi-faceted personality:

1. I can be completely oblivious sometimes.

2. Under my composed exterior I'm a huge goofball.

3. I am an introvert (INFJ to be exact.)

4. I loath the redundancy of taking a daily shower, doing my hair, and putting on make-up, which is nothing a beanie - or a pixie cut - can't fix.

5. Just try to come up with a better organizational system. I dare you.

6. I'm a big pile of gushy love and once I've slimed you, you're mine forever.

7. I'm smart - even without my glasses.

8. I'm deadly serious about the pursuit of personal growth and new ways of thinking.

9. My favorite shirt was found at a vintage shop and boasts purple Mexican-style embroidery.

*Okay, maybe the picture doesn't tell you all those things without you knowing them already, but now that you do know them hopefully this statement is rendered moot - which leads to another aspect about me...

10. I find satisfaction in stating the obvious.

If...



"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

"If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

"If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

"If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!"

~Rudyard Kipling

Tim Irving

Crush of the Week: Miranda July

I'm not sure where to begin when describing my enormous crush on filmmaker-writer-artist Miranda July. Along with being insanely talented, Miranda's numerous works address larger questions about life, love, and humanity - which for me, makes her  not only crush-worthy but truly inspirational. So instead of trying to share her myriad of works, I'm going to show one of her art installations, titled The Hallway, that I found quite profound.

 

Thank you Miranda for being my Crush of the Week. Even though you're no long taking submissions for Learning To Love You More, I think I'll still participate and start sharing the assignments here on my blog in the very near future. You are truly one in a million! xo

Happy Independence Day!

Firework by Katy Perry