BRUUUCE

I'll just say it: I love Bruce Springsteen.

Anyone who has known me for more than 15 minutes likely knows this about me. Last night, I saw Springsteen in Richmond and it was completely amazing. He was in fine form - cracking jokes, telling stories, having fun.

One of my favorite songs from his new Devils and Dust album is "Jesus Was an Only Son." Bruce's music has always been infused with Catholic imagery - he was raised Catholic and talks quite a bit about that on this tour. As he said last night, "Catholicism is full of beauty, poetry, and hideous terror to frighten a 6-year-old boy."

In the middle of "Jesus was an Only Son," Bruce stops to talk about what he was imagining when he wrote it. He talks about his own transforming experience as a parent, and says that to his mother, Jesus was just her son. He also talks about sacrifice in a very powerful way. I'll paraphrase his riff on this...

"The thing that makes our choices powerful is the things we give up by not choosing the other way. I figure at some point Jesus had to be thinking to himself, it's beautiful here in Galilee this time of year. And there's that little bar down by the beach, and they could use a good manager. And Mary Magdalene could tend bar. I could just save the preaching for the weekends. And we could have a bunch of kids and watch the sun shine on their faces. And watch their lungs fill with air as they sleep at night. And watch them play on the beach tomorrow. And the day after that. And the day after that. And the day after that. And the day after that..."

I've been all over the map theologically and I'm still sorting out what I really think about Jesus, but I love this imagery. People rarely talk about Jesus as just a man, somebody's son, who had a whole life ahead of him. And I love the way he talks about the details of parenting that bring so much joy - just watching his child breathe at night.

This is the thing that Bruce does so well over and over again - and the reason I think I identify with his music so profoundly. He focuses on relationships and connection and the "ties that bind." He doesn't talk about the religious significance of Jesus' crucifixion. He talks about his relationships (or potential relationships) and the life he's giving up. Again and again, Bruce reminds me that connections, friendships, love, relationships are the most important things in life. It's the loss of those things that makes Jesus' sacrifice so profound.

Co-ed Baby Showers

Ahh, how I love the modern world. I just got back from a baby shower and I'm mildly tipsy from the lovely Shiraz from a box (quite tasty indeed) and laughing quietly about the silly fun that we all had. This baby shower was a far cry from the baby showers of yesteryear. There were boys there. There was wine (and beer too). And lots of funny mingly conversations. We did have one shower game -- in which we guessed the bigness of "mommy's" tummy. I lost. Spatial skills are simply not my forte.

It has been quite a busy weekend. Friday night was marked with what I affectionately dubbed the "nerd reunion." Given that I am quite the nerd myself (though also quite fabulous too!) I am alllowed to dub Friday evening get togethers as such. In attendance were several fellas from my side-kick Spaceman's science past. It was quite a pleasant evening, but oddly quiet -- the nice science guys were not the most conversational bantering chit-chatters of the world. We went to My Brothers Bar. I highly recommend the JCB -- Jalepeno Cream Cheese Burger. Yum!

Saturday night was a gorgeous girls night out for a girl friends birthday. And the food was magnicient! http://www.zengorestaurant.com/ I had a cucumber mojito which sounds bizarre but tastes delicious. The small plates of won ton tacos, bangkok ceviche and fried plantains dazzled us dazzling gals. Of course, we are in Denver, so at least 1/2 of the patrons of this swanky establishment were dressed up in simply clean blue jeans and a new t-shirt.

Writing Crushes

In the swing dancing world, when you are infatuated with someone's dancing, it's called a Lindy Crush ("lindy" for lindy hop, the prevailing swing dance). You may not be attracted to the person, you may not know them, you may not even like them. But you have a connection within the dance and it's powerful. Sometimes Lindy Crushes can lead you astray, but for the most part they are just good fun.

Over the past couple of years I have discovered that I am sometimes attracted to (or turned off by) a person's writing ability. Two or three years ago, I had a little lindy crush on this one particular dancer. He also seemed like a pretty nice guy and was very cute. So we flirted and danced a bunch and at some point exchanged e-mail addresses. He e-mailed me a couple days later and my crush came to an abrupt end.

The guy was just a terrible writer. I will be the first to admit that I am something of a language/writing/grammar snob. I appreciate people who use language well. This particular guy did not. Not only did he use poor grammar and spelling, he didn't have anything interesting or clever to say at all. They were boring e-mails, written poorly. Ugh.

I was reminded of this yesterday because I read two terrific letters, both from the same person. We're currently getting applications in for the American Culture Program, and the application requires letters of recommendation from faculty and other sources. One particular faculty member submitted letters for two different students, and I was floored by them. The vocabulary, the grammar, the style...everything was terrific. He used some obscure vocabulary words, but without sounding pompous. He used semicolons and colons and dashes with alacrity. And he did it all with a certain sense of humor so that it was fun to read, not pretentious and stilted. A rare combination of wit, enthusiasm and elegant prose.

I don't think I can give you examples from the letters without at least walking (and likely crossing) the line of confidentiality, but trust me - they were a delight to read.

So now I find myself with a new kind of crush - the Writing Crush. I am intrigued by this individual who writes so gracefully. I hope I get to read more of his prose one day.

Movin' On Up

Let me begin by saying that I love Colorado Public Radio. When they switched to a two-channel network, I discovered a whole world of public radio programming I never knew existed. This American Life, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Fresh Air...so many terrific programs that I am now totally addicted to. I listened to CPR pretty much every day when I lived in Denver. News in the morning, fun stuff on the weekends, more driveway moments than I could count.

So you can imagine my surprise when I was listening to my local NPR station here in VA this morning and heard a familiar voice..."From NPR News in Washington, this is Dan Drayer." I was disoriented. I literally had a moment when I wasn't sure where I was, and then another moment when I couldn't figure out what had happened to my radio.

I literally grew up listening to Dan Drayer on CPR. I have a very distinct memory of listening to CPR one morning in high school when they were in the middle of a pledge drive. At one point there was a bit of dead air, and then Dan Drayer came on laughing about how he'd been in a rush to get back to his chair and literally fell out of it. I could hear laughter in the background and all of a sudden those people on the radio became real to me. I was in love with Dan Drayer.

Then a few years later, a little local show came along called "Colorado Matters." I had such high hopes for Colorado Matters when it first started. There are definitely interesting and important things going on in Colorado, and I was excited to hear what host Dan Drayer would do with the show.

Sadly, I don't think Colorado Matters lives up to its potential. My personal tagline for the show is "Soft Questions, Easy Answers." They get some good people on the show, but then back down and ask insipid questions. A sample interview might go something like this:

Dan Drayer: We're pleased to welcome renowned nature photographer John Fielder to Colorado Matters today.
John Fielder: Thanks, Dan.
DD: John, how does it feel to be the world's greatest nature photographer?
JF: It feels pretty good, Dan.
DD: There's one shot of yours that I absolutely love. Tell me about the hard work and agonizing patience it took to capture the true spirit of the mountain lion reposing in the field of wildflowers.
JF: (tells some fairly articulate story about said mountain lion)
DD: John, do you ever worry that you've exhausted the field of nature photography and just set the bar so high that young aspiring photographers can never equal your greatness?
JF: No not really, Dan.
DD: What is it about your nature photography that makes Colorado so darn great?

And so on.

This is a slight exaggeration, of course, but not much really. One time I was excited to hear that Dan was going to be talking to a Colorado Supreme Court Justice. "That sounds interesting," I thought. But then it turned out that Dan was going to talk to said Justice not about the judicial system, or about critical issues facing the Colorado courts, but about the Justice's poetry. That's right, the judge writes poems, and that's what the interview was all about. Now, I like poetry as much as the next gal, but it's not exactly hard-hitting journalism.

On the plus side, Auntie Mame and I have lots of fun inventing our own Colorado Matters-style interviews. Mame, darling, how does it feel to be Colorado's greatest squash recipe inventor? What is it about winter squash that makes Colorado dining so unique?

To his credit, Dan Drayer did a fine job with the headlines on Morning Edition today and seemed to fit right in. And I will admit it was comforting to hear a familiar voice over the airwaves. As long as he doesn't invite John Robert and Harriet Meiers on to read poetry, I'll be happy.

Squash. Yum.

I love fall. The leaves are turning. The mornings are crisp.

And it is time for SQUASH. Summer squash is quite lovely. But "winter" squash (which I always buy and eat in the fall . . .) is a real special treat! I cooked spaghetti squash last night. Mmm mmmm good. With a little lamb/tomato/garlic/mushroom sauce on top. The spaqhetti strings of this squash are so fun -- why do you think it is like that? Anyone know the history of the spaghetti squash? Perhaps this bears some investigation. I'll look into it.

Human Touch

Have you ever heard of Cuddle Parties? When I first heard about these things, I thought people were crazy. My friends and I laughed and thought the whole things was kind of creepy. Frankly, I still think the idea is kind of creepy.

But part of me can totally identify with why people would want to go to one of these things. I grew up in a very affectionate family. We're huggers. And my college friends, post-college friends, swing dancing friends...they're mostly huggers too. I love hugs. They are great.

And suddenly I find myself in a new city where I don't really know anyone and I hardly ever get hugged. It's rough! There's only one person in my life here who hugs me, so if I'm lucky I get about two hugs a week. In my previous life, even when I wasn't getting hugs all the time, I was going dancing two or three times a week, so I got some kind of physical human contact on a regular basis.

Someone told me once that people need 19 hugs a day to stay sane. I don't know if that's true, but I am definitely feeling the lack of human contact. The only other time I remember going through this was when I first went to college. I didn't know anyone at my new school, and after a couple of weeks I realized I hadn't hugged anyone since my parents left. Of course then I just asked my room mate for a hug and that made things better.

But now as an adult it seems really awkward to just ask someone to hug me. So I can see why people would be interested in these cuddle party things. I'm not saying that I'm going to sign up for one. I still think it's strange to manufacture something like that, and I also just have to believe that there are creepy people there for the wrong reasons. I'll just make sure to stock up on extra hugs when I see friends in other cities. And maybe I'll try to go out dancing once in a while. And surely soon I will have friends here who I'll be comfortable hugging.

Does this post suddenly make me sound like a crazy person? 'Cause I'm not really, I swear. I just need a hug!

Napoleon Dynamite and Bowling Extravaganza

I had quite the weekend full of festivities.

Saturday night was a fabulous Napoleon Dynamite party. Guests in costume - I was the villianess Summer Wheatley. Among others in attendance were Summer's boyfriend Don, 2 Kips, Grandma, Rex Kwan Do, 2 Uncle Ricos, 1 football (funny!). Other highlights were: a) the Summer Wheatley pinata b) the food -- tots, corndogs, fruit cocktail, canned grean beans, jello, juice boxes. And of course, a Presidente Pedro Felicidades celebration cake!

Sunday night was a BOWLING EXTRAVAGANZA! There's a 24 lane bowling alley just around the corner from my house and Sunday night is $1 bowl, $1 beer, $1 hot dog. In celebration of a friends 25th bday, 15 of us hit the lanes. Skill levels ranged from one of us who hit 4 strikes in a row to one of us who averaged 40% gutter balls - and fun levels ranged from having lotsa fun to have lotsa lotsa lotsa fun. I recommend Elitch Lanes -- I would link to their website for you, but they don't have one. You can call them at (303) 477-1633. You should definitely call ahead to reserve a lane!

Nancy's Famous Ginger Snaps

Per Mame's request, here is my Ginger Snap recipe. I can't remember where this recipe came from. Maybe the Denver Post food section many moons ago.

Ginger Snap Cookies
3/4 cup vegetable shortening (I've used margarine, crisco and butter and all work fine)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
white sugar for dipping

Cream shortening and sugar. Add egg and molasses and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix well again.
Chill at least one hour. Roll into 1-inch diameter balls and dip in white sugar. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 12 min. (Mine usually take more like 15-17 min)

The funny thing about these cookies is that they aren't actually very snappy. Mine have always turned out soft and chewy (except the one time I put in too much flour and they were hard as rocks and couldn't be ingested). I really like them soft, but if you are expecting crunchy you aren't likely to get it. It's a little hard to tell when they are done, because they are brown to begin with and don't really change color over time. Best way I've found to tell is that they will start to crack on the top - not all of them, but some.

They aren't hard to make, but they take some time. I often forget that they need to chill for a while and end up staying up later than I mean to. I have occasionally put them in the freezer for 20 min instead of the fridge for an hour, and that works OK. Also, I sometimes add a little cinnamon to the sugar that I dip them in, just to give them a little extra kick.

In any event, these are dee-lish. Enjoy!

A Warm House

Well, my housewarming party was a success.

I never really thought about it growing up, but hospitality has always been an important part of our family. My mom is a terrific cook, and a very gracious, generous woman. In high school, my house was often "the place to be," even though (or perhaps because) my parents were almost always home and there was no drinking allowed. I had a lot of parties and my friends were comfortable there. I remember one time I came home from school and found my friend Kevin's car parked in the driveway. I went inside and there was Kevin, helping my mom decorate the Christmas tree. He'd come over to see me, and was comfortable enough in our house to hang out with my parents until I came home.

Anyway, all of this is to say that it's important to me to have friends in my house and to share my space with people I care about. It meant a lot to me to have new friends in my new apartment, and it was fun to get to know people better. The conversation was lively, we had a good mix of personalities, the food was tasty (if I do say so myself) and people seemed to enjoy themselves.

I kept the menu pretty simple:
Home made brownies and ginger snap cookies
Veggies and dip
Bake brie with apple slices and crackers
Chips and dip (brought by friends Julio and Bobbi)

For beverages:
Red and white wine
Thew's delicious green-tea-and-peppermint iced tea
Ginger Ale, Coke

I did all the baking the night before, so day-of prep was pretty simple. Recipes often include adjustments for baking at altitude, but I have only ever baked at altitude, so I found myself wishing I had adjustments for sea-level. Things turned out a little differently than usual, but were nonetheless tasty. For the brie, I just brushed it with a little melted butter, sprinkled some sliced almonds on top and baked at 350 for about 20 min. And for the record, it's true what they say - if you dip apple slices in lemon juice, they won't turn brown! I used one part lemon juice to one part water and brushed that on the apples and they stayed fresh and nice-looking for 3-4 hours.

Thew's iced tea is the most delicious beverage ever. It's super simple, just half green tea and half peppermint tea mixed together. It has the light and refreshing green tea taste with the little kick of peppermint. It was a HUGE hit at the party and went fast. Next time I'll remember to make more.

All in all, a successful first soiree. More to come, I'm sure.