Monthly Archives: February 2010

Home Remedies

Posted on by
2

My half marathon is coming up on Sunday, and in addition to wondering whether we will be hit with snow or rain, I’ve been trying to fend off a possible cold. Nothing major, just that suspicious ear and throat feeling that usually betokens a week or so of snot and coughing.

[40/365] A Date with Mrs. Nappington

It’s been a good excuse to take plenty of naps, even extra-special, on-purpose, in-bed naps, which are so much more special than the allegedly accidental couch naps, aren’t they? Unfortunately, this is a particularly busy couple of weeks on campus, so my napping has been less frequent than I’d like. What to do?

Clearly, the next best cold-preventive practices include drinking tea, eating soup, and consuming plenty of anti-oxidants in the form of raspberries and dark chocolate. Clearly.

Today I went to the grocery store and it turned out to be one of those endless missions where I went in for a few fresh veggies and wound up walking all the aisles finding things I needed but had forgotten about (e.g. paper towels, CLIF bars, drain cleaner). Soon enough a produce run turns into $85 of random crap. But I digress.

[41/365] By Special Request

I was looking for the butternut squash to make some soup (see above re soup’s 100% legitimate scientific medical properties) and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Luckily, the Magical Grocery Dude was there. I swear, every single time I am at this Kroger, I see this guy stocking or organizing the produce and/or natural foods sections — the two places I spend most of my time, too. If I ever can’t find something, he always offers to go get me some from the back of the store. Today I asked for help with the squash, but unfortunately he misheard me and came back with a case of butter lettuce. D’oh. Nevertheless, he quickly came back with the squash and I was set! I love that little bald grocery dude. He has saved my dinner plans on more than one occasion.

So my cold seems to be held at bay for the moment, thanks to all the eating, drinking, and sleeping I’ve been up to lately. Let’s just hope that the streets of Birmingham aren’t covered with ice and snow on Sunday, and I think everything will be fine.

Taking Mississippi by Storm

Posted on by
7

I spent the past weekend shirking my work duties and hanging out in Mississippi with my two BFFs from college, Clarabella and Ememkay. Since C. lives in a neighboring state, we get to see each other relatively often, but with the third member of our great triumvirate living on the other side of the country, it’s rare that we all get together at once — the last time that happened was last March for Spring Break Vegas Style.

Last year, we had a blast eating fancy food (I ate my last seafood meal ever – diver scallops at Craft) and gallivanting around, but this year we had just as much fun being homebodies, playing with the toddlers and dogs, cooking, and drinking adult beverages. Clarabella’s almost-three-year-old son and Ememkay’s one-year-old boy had never met before, so it was fun to watch them playing together. I also got to get plenty of playtime and baby-snorgling in, all while never having to change a diaper or be financially responsible for a child – BONUS! Ha ha.

It’s hard to overstate just how much fun I have with these two ladies, who are truly two of my favorite people ever. I’m so glad I got to get out there this weekend, even if it meant coming back to a busier week on campus. We stayed up late Saturday night for cocktails and reminiscing and photos, during which time I took what is quite possibly (to me), the most hilarious/wonderful photo of all time. See if you can figure out which one that is.

The Weekend in Photos (click each photo to go through to flickr for titles and descriptions):

[34/365] Overstuffed

[35/365] Nico the Friendly Dog

[36/365] Animated Conversation

Cute Stemless Glasses

Half and Half Pizza

Nico and Wallace Wrestling

[37/365] Goofy Faces

Three Lovely Ladies

And now tell me – how was your weekend?

Quotation of the Day: Truly a Word Edition

Posted on by
Reply

To be sure, the sculptor uses stone just as the mason uses it, in his own way. But he does not use it up. That happens in a certain way only where the work miscarries. To be sure, the painter also uses pigment, but in such a way that color is not used up but rather only now comes to shine forth. To be sure, the poet also uses the word—not, however, like ordinary speakers and writers who have to use them up, but rather in such a way that the word only now becomes and remains truly a word.

Und nochmal auf deutsch:

Zwar gebraucht der Bildhauer den Stein so, wie nach seiner Art auch der Maurer mit ihm umgeht. Aber er verbraucht den Stein nicht. Das gilt in gewisser Weise nur dort, wo das Werk mißlingt. Zwar gebraucht auch der Mahler den Farbstoff, jedoch so, daß die Farbe nicht verbraucht wird, sondern erst zum Leuchten kommt. Zwar gebraucht auch der Dichter das Wort, aber nicht so wie die gewöhnlich Redenden und Schreibenden die Worte verbrauchen müssen, sondern so, daß das Wort erst wahrhaft ein Wort wird und bleibt.

- Martin Heidegger, Der Ursprung des Kunstwerkes, 1935.