Winter’s freeze came late this year so our pumpkins (yes, the ones from our very own garden) sat on our front porch until I brought them in this past weekend. They were dutifully serving as seasonal decorations commemorating Halloween & the Harvest.
I brought the two largest ones into the house this past Sunday, knowing that the first storm of the season was forecast to hit the following day. I gutted the pumpkins and then proceeded to cook them in two varying ways. The first pumpkin I cut into large sections, placed them on an industrial-sized cookie sheet, poked holes all over them, poured melted butter over them, covered the cooking sheet with heavy gauge aluminum foil, then threw them into a pre-heated oven to bake for an hour and a half–until soft. This baked pumpkin I planned to use for pumpkin pie.
The second pumpkin I sliced into thinner sections, in a manner similar to how you would slice a cantaloupe. I then cut away the thick outer skin, cut the sections into wedges, and then threw them into a pot of boiling water. When I could easily pierce a few pumpkin wedges with a fork, approximately twelve minutes later, I strained the water off the boiled pumpkin, mashed it like I would mash potatoes, and then pureed it with melted butter and milk. I then placed the pureed pumpkin back into the soup pot and combined it with already prepared chicken stock, cream, and pureed caramelized onion and garlic. In minutes, it turned into a delicious creamy pumpkin soup.
Tonight, I just finished preparing and cooking the pumpkin pies. If you have ever made pumpkin pies with canned pumpkin, you will be familiar with the orange squash-like color of the pie. Not so with garden grown pumpkins. The cooked pie is more beige, the color of Christmas cinnamon custard. Color aside, these fresh pumpkin pies create a creamier custard center with a taste that will turn you into a homemade pie miser – you’ll forever turn your head at anything you see at the store!
If you want to venture making pies this weekend, now is a good time. Stores are still carrying pumpkins left-over from the Thanksgiving season.
I have my own pie crust recipe and I encourage you to use your favorite one, as well. One thing I have learned about making your own crust is that they tend to be flakier, thicker, (because one rolled crust is never the same as the other), and more flavorful. Store-bought crusts are nearly paper-thin and have this generic "I was mass-produced" flavor. Yuck! Store bought cookies taste this same way to me, too. But I digress. My pie crust recipe makes crusts for two pies and consists of one and a half cups butter-flavored Crisco, 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 well-beaten egg, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, and five and half tablespoons of water.
For the pumpkin custard, let me introduce you to our tried and true custard recipe that my family has used for at least four decades now, maybe even longer. And being who I am, I enjoy more cinnamon in my pie than the recipe calls for. However, for this recipe, I’ll give you the actual amounts for the spices and not any of my Dr. Jekyl-like deviations or experiments.
Pumpkin Custard for Pies 1 ½ cups sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger ½ tsp cloves 4 large eggs 3 cups pumpkin 2 cans evaporated milk
In a preheated oven at 425 degrees, bake the pies at 350 degrees for one hour or until custard can be pierced by a knife and the blade emerges without any residue.
From the Parker house to your’s. Happy holidays and happy eating.
Editor's Note: I was asked if this post could be a featured segment in the upcoming edition of MiPoRadio's The Countdown show hosted by Bob Marcacci. Because of this, I added some details about preparation and cleaned up some of the long sentences. I'll be recording it tonight if all goes well. I'll let you know when the show is out.
Can you believe it is award season already? Where did 2006 go? Today, the Independent Film association announced the nominations for the Spirit Awards, the awards that highlight independent films, of course. Last year’s list looked more like the Oscar list. This year is ripe with films I have not even heard of, unfortunately. I'll just have to add these films to my cue of films online.
The most nominated film was Half Nelson, the story of the high school teacher struggling with drug addiction. It’s nominated for six awards, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best First Screenplay, Best Actor (Ryan Gossling,The Notebook) , Best Actress (Shareeka Epps), and Special Axium Producer’s Award.
The second most nominated film is the more popular one--the quirky summer surprise Little Miss Sunshine, garnering five nominations: Best Feature, Best Director, Best First Screenplay, and two nods in the Best Supporting Actor category for Alan Arkin and Paul Dano.
Most noteworthy nomination: Robert Altman was nominated for his wonderful film A Prairie Home Companion.
Here are the list of the big nominations:
BEST FEATURE
American Gun The Dead Girl Half Nelson Little Miss Sunshine Pan’s Labyrinth
BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Altman, A Prairie Home Companion Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine Ryan Fleck, Half Nelson Karen Moncrieff, The Dead Girl Steven Soderbergh, Bubble
BEST SCREENPLAY
Neil Burger, The Illusionist Nicole Holofcener, Friends with Money Ron Nyswaner, The Painted Veil Jason Reitman, Thank You For Smoking Jeff Stanzler, Sorry, Haters
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, Half Nelson Goran Dukic, Wristcutters: A Love Story Dito Montiel, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints Gabrielle Zevin, Conversations with Other Women
I watched the excellent and probably most important film of the year, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore’s powerpoint presentation pinpointing real-life indicators on how and why global warming is occurring. It’s informational to researched to excess. It’s visual comparisons are haunting. And the script of his life woven among the scenes of his tour are meaningful, highlighting the point that we can change our habits individually, as communities and states, nations and the vast world community to turn the tide and slowing down a disaster in the making.
I also watched the best James Bond film that I can remember, Casino Royale. And yes, Daniel Craig fits the mold of a Bond. There is an amazingly romantic shower scene in this film that has to rank as one of the best and beautifully filmed shots. And guess what? They’re fully clothed. The script for this film was likewise smarter than usual, and more dramatic.
I am going to try to write a review for the extraordinary film Babel, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. This is one of those stories in which the lives of all of the main characters in three different countries are affected when tragedy strikes a married couple vacationing in the Moroccan desert. The soundtrack is haunting.
I also watched the Sundance winning film Brick, the clever Lucky Number Slevin, the enjoyable Monster House, the extraordinary Indian film Water, the unimpressive Nacho Libre, and the magical film The Polar Express, again.
Ok, dear readers. I know many of you write (and if you are one of my cousins I hope you read this), so I encourage you to get yourself to your PC and start writing, writing, and writing. Menendez Publishing is now accepting submissions to print chapbooks, small books of poetry.
If your collection of poetry is accepted, you will get your chapbook published; you get twenty copies sent to you; and the publisher, who also is a wonderful artist, Didi Menendez, will create the cover.
And there is nothing to lose. You don't have to pay any reading fees, nor publishing fees.
Got your attention? Good. Here are the details:
MiPOesias Magazine (www.mipoesias.com) is now seeking submissions of chapbook manuscripts. Send manuscripts January 1st through April 1st 2007. Manuscripts should include between 17 - 25 pages, a title page, a table of contents page and a page including your name, email address, and mailing address.
Please DO NOT send illustrations or an acknowledgements page for previously published poems. We are not interested in where you’ve been published. Just send us your best work. Poems from the manuscript may be previously published, but the chapbook as a whole should be unpublished.
This call is open to all poets, published or unpublished; prior contributors to MiPOesias Magazine are welcome. We are interested in manuscripts of free verse, formal, or prose poetry, although interdisciplinary or collaborative work will also be considered. All subjects welcome. Work can be based on a theme or poems can be meant to stand alone. Translations will not be accepted.
Please use a standard font like Times New Roman (12pt) or Ariel (10pt). Manuscripts should be submitted electronically, attach file as either a Word for Windows .doc or .rtf file, and let us know it’s a chapbook submission in the subject line of the email. No submissions within the body of the email will be accepted or considered.
This is not a contest. There are no reading or entry fees. The chapbook selected will be published by Didi Menendez (Menendez Publishing) through Lulu. Please visit our print publications at www.lulu.com/mipo to get an idea of our style. The artwork for the cover of the chapbook will be designed by Didi Menendez. Author will receive twenty copies.
Took the family to Happy Feet at the IMAX theater.
Everything about this film is amazing – the story, dialogue, clever adaptation of old songs into the storyline, and beautiful, awe-inspiring animation. In a year full of a lot of entertaining animated films such as Ice Age 2, Monster House, Cars, Open Season, Barnyard, Hoodwinked, Over the Hedge, this DreamWorks film rises above them all. This is the best animated film of the year.
Yes. Happy Feet is another penguin movie. Last year’s award-winning March of the Penguins introduced the world to these amazing Emperor Penguins in a story of survival against all odds in an unforgiving Antarctic landscape. It became one of the top grossing films at the box office and on video. Happy Feet capitalizes on this interest and runs with it, creating another delightful story. It is another classic.
Highlight: The musical-like feel of Happy Feet is electrifying, combining soulful renditions of "Kiss," "Heartbreak Hotel," and the disco classic "Boogie Wonderland," into exceptional interludes between the action sequences. We purchased the CD because the music was so good.
One of my favorite directors passed away last night, Robert Altman. He was 81. I was at work when I saw the headline scroll up on Gmail’s headline marquee. I let out an audible mournful gasp. Evidentally, Altman’s been suffering from cancer the past year and a half but continuing to work throughout, which is evidence of his character and love, devotion of the art of filmmaking. He loved his actors. That’s what I have read for years. He loved to see them work the magic – creating and living other people's lives and making the transition seamless and real. Though he had been nominated five times for Best Director, he never came away with a win. He was, however, honored by the Academy this year for a lifetime achievement in film.
And what an achievement! Consider his acclaimed and/or award-winning films: M*A*S*H, The Player, Nashville, Gosford Park, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Short Cuts, Kansas City; and the entertaining Popeye; and the less popular but still artistic and beloved Cookies Fortune, Dr T and the Women, The Company, and A Prairie Home Companion.
I appreciated Stephanie Zacharek’s comments in her tribute on Salon.com:
Altman didn't hit the mark every time, but then, his movies were never about hitting marks: At their best and greatest, they were semi-improvisatorial flights of free-flowing precision -- in other words, they were moving contradictions, and you had to be flexible enough to move with them, to grab onto their weird poetry, which seemed to be forever ambling just out of our grasp.
Altman’s death makes his last film A Prairie Home Companion that much more endearing. Whether Altman sensed his time left with us was short, he gave us a gentle, warm-hearted film about the last show of a long-running radio program, hosted by Garrison Keiller. During the show, Death’s Angel, played by Virginia Madsen, haunts the set and characters. She’s there to guide someone to heaven. Two years later, when the cast gets back together to discuss the good times and discuss a possible tour of small county fairs, Death’s Angel walks in. With her kind eyes and tempered smile, she looks upon the cast. And they return her gaze. Because they know of her divine duty, this is a somber moment as they glance at one another. It’s an ending told without any words, only the look in their eyes that express so many emotions, but mainly "Is she coming for you, dear friend?" and "goodbye."
My scarcity here is due in some part to reading and writing a review for Evie Shockley's poignant "a half-red sea." I finished it up last night and it should be Internet-live tomorrow.
I can admit to you, dear reader, that I ended up writing the beginning of the review four times because I kept rediscovering a theme that had more potential at wrapping all of the other themes together. Has that ever happened to you? (Serves Shockley right. That's what happens when you release a compilation that's so thematically rich.)
Today, I want to share just one of the introductions, one that was written right after the midterm elections. The poem is "a thousand words," and it is truly the heart of this collective whole.
I began reading Evie Shockley’s poignant "a half-red sea" during the climactic days and nights of the midterm elections. I was captivated by the concerned voices rising out of every nook and cranny of America – in the heart of the cities, in the suburbs, in the rural farmlands and small towns that support them, and even amongst all party affiliations, cultures, age groups, classes, and religious tenets. A convincing majority exhibited discontent regarding a number of issues: the scandal-ridden congress; the unbearable cost of health-care; the embarrassing and sickening failure’s of Katrina; out-of-control gas prices; and the worsening economy in which it is getting harder for anyone not belonging to the higher echelon of society to make a living to survive on.
However, the greatest issue vocalized even in the last 72 hours prior to the elections was reserved for the unpopular Iraq war and the loss of confidence in the President and his administration for mismanaging it.
Bubbling under the tumultuous surface of this discontent, however, are the lingering effects of the torture that U.S. military personnel serving at the infamous Abu Graib prison inflicted on men, women, and boys; and of the passing of the torture law this past September that authorized torture and rescinded habeas corpus.
Social, moral, and ethical standards have changed since the revelations of our hideous and illegal interrogation methods. This has altered not only how other world-citizens view us but how we view ourselves. The altered sense of identity, due to forces beyond our control, is just one theme echoing throughout Shockley’s "a half-red sea," most prominently in "a thousand words."
Shockley employs nouns, adjectives, names of popular songs, films, slang, and cultural catch-phrases that have the swift and powerful flow of a river cutting its way through a rocky gorge.
This isn’t simple brainstorming thrown together and called poetry. There is a structured, intelligent design.
The content of "a thousand words" is literally framed by the word "torture." Thus, when you begin and end each line, you see and say "torture." This affects the reader in a number of ways: it drives home the fact that we cannot escape saying or even thinking "torture," just as those tortured cannot escape it. It symbolizes that their existence is framed by torture.
The magnitude of torture on a world-scale, national scale, and the individual are undeniable. To explain this, let me pass on a story I read by columnist Greg Mitchel of Editor & Publisher while reading "a thousand words."
On Sept. 15, 2003, Alyssa Peterson died from a "non-hostile weapons discharge." She was the first female U.S. Soldier to die serving in Iraq. Thanks to a reporter's FOIA request for details about her death, Mitchel revealed that Peterson actually took her own life after spending two nights taking part in "interrogation techniques" used on prisoners and then refusing to take part in them any longer. And it is not the fact that there was pressure to perform, because they relieved her of this responsibility, moving her to the guard station to monitor incoming Iraqi prisoners. It was while serving in this capacity for only a few days when she took her life, indicating that she was unable to shake the mental images of the interrogation techniques. And though Mitchel explains that the military destroyed the records of the types of techniques that were employed there, we can assume, after viewing the Abu Graib pictures, that she saw similar inhumane, atrocious acts.
Peterson was educated, (received a psychology degree from Northern Arizona University), devoutly religious (served as a Mormon missionary in the Netherlands for 18-months in the 1990's), and a military stalwart (trained in interrogation techniques at Fort Huachuca, AZ, and cruised through her Arabic courses at the military's Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA.). She was sent to Iraq to conduct interrogations and translate enemy documents in 2003.
You will check in on me parent friend co-worker caregiver mentor poet writer mystic reader discern the traces I've been here less frequently like the trail of clouds residue of night when dawn hands over its shift to mid-day don't mean to keep you waiting never intended such tardiness the dog ate my life and there is no sense to be made of what's left left over from an injured back long office days back to the specialist's for another shot in the back to continue walking my way into a slow jog or long run that is all I have been praying hope written on air but the pull of the moon continues to be the pull in my hip every left step march march march of life keeps all of the street lights illuminated green the sun rising east of pain and the moon sleeping in the narcotic of my dreams
8:08:04 PM | COMMENT [] |
(But the Dems are only two away from majority, with VA and MT still not called but leaning their way! Amazing!) If you told me, even three months ago, that this would be a possibility, I wouldn't have believed it. Moderates across all parties made this possible, according to reports of exit polls I listened to last night.
UPDATE: Yes! Yes! Webb delivers the Senate to the Democrats! (I know, this happened eight days ago but I've been too busy to update the blog. Oh well, the spirit of the victory was present.) What a stunning reversal of fortune for the GOP!
Considering the news that the Dems have the spread of +5 - +7 over the GOP, the same spread that won the GOP 56 House seats in 1994, leaves me optimistic that the Dems will indeed win control of the House. The Senate, on the other hand, is a long shot. Having said this, I must add that there will be no such tidal wave if the Dems don't vote. We'll have to see who comes out to vote.
Atrios posted an excerpt from Krugman's NYT column today. They are worth reprinting here:
President Bush isn't on the ballot tomorrow. But this election is, nonetheless, all about him. The question is whether voters will pry his fingers loose from at least some of the levers of power, thereby limiting the damage he can inflict in his two remaining years in office.
There are still some people urging Mr. Bush to change course. For example, a scathing editorial published today by The Military Times, which calls on Mr. Bush to fire Donald Rumsfeld, declares that "this is not about the midterm elections." But the editorial's authors surely know better than that. Mr. Bush won't fire Mr. Rumsfeld; he won't change strategy in Iraq; he won't change course at all, unless Congress forces him to.
At this point, nobody should have any illusions about Mr. Bush's character. To put it bluntly, he's an insecure bully who believes that owning up to a mistake, any mistake, would undermine his manhood — and who therefore lives in a dream world in which all of his policies are succeeding and all his officials are doing a heckuva job. Just last week he declared himself "pleased with the progress we're making" in Iraq.
In other words, he's the sort of man who should never have been put in a position of authority, let alone been given the kind of unquestioned power, free from normal checks and balances, that he was granted after 9/11. But he was, alas, given that power, as well as a prolonged free ride from much of the news media.
Here is the latest Keith Olbermann commentary. He addresses the significance of the election tomorrow, highlighting Bush's every-changing reasons for the Iraq War. "It's as if he's making it up as he goes," Olbermann surmises. Enjoy! It's good.
And now for fun. Let's analyze some of the more inane news headlines that get displayed. This one comes from CNN today. Considering last year's hunting expedition, could this have been written differently? Cheney hunting for victory on Election Day
Why not say "Cheney to go hunting while America votes."? Oh ya, that would have a democratic slant to it. Ok. How about "Cheney hunting on Election Day. Hopes for GOP Victory."?
Still weak. We musn't have Cheney come across as weak.
I was emailing this to a friend today and he replied with a more accurate headline. Here you go, Shawn. Another moment of recognition. "Cheney vows not to blow anyone's face off--IF GOP wins."
Last night I began writing my review of Shockley's poetry book. I'll tell you right now, as a sneak peak, that I'm very impressed by it. Because I had been familiar with her work from the online poetry that I had read, I had high expectations for this "half-red sea." I was not disappointed. I will finish up the content for the review, edit it, and have it ready for publishing tomorrow or Monday. Stay tuned.
With the election three days away, I've volunteered to help MoveOn contact voters with progressive ideals to encourage them to get out and vote on Tuesday. I can't stress enough the importance, the sheer significance of this election. One of the underlying reasons I first began this blog in 2003 was because I needed an outlet to voice my concern about the lies, railroading, propoganda, and failures of this Administration. Today, though the themes of my blog have transformed over the years, my observances of this White House, President, and lately the ineptness and scandal-ridden Congress, have not altered. I hope the results of Tuesday's election show an America that has had enough and decided to take back the government by their freedom to vote.
There is a campaign sign here in the Provo/Orem cities that reads "Vote Your Values. Vote Republican." Well, considering what we have seen of our GOP congressmen, "values" is definitely a misnomer. The sign should read "Vote Your Scandal. Vote Republican." After all, that is the revealed face of this no-good party: scandal. Vote for them, and you are supporting it.
On this note, some anonymous someone compiled a slideshow of pictures and video of the past six years of President Bush, Iraq War, Katrina, Abu Graib, congressional scandals, etc. and set it to the music of George Michael's song "Freedom." It's disturbing, yet convincing. It's well worth the watch. Have you had enough? Well then, get out and vote. Enjoy this video.
You all know that it is the National Month for Writing A Novel. Well, Wired magazine is honoring the very short novel. Short, as in six word short. They mention that Hemingway wrote such a short story – For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
Wired asked authors of horror, science fiction, and fantasy to come up with their own masterpieces. You can read the entire list here.
My favorites are:
Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?
- Eileen Gunn
Vacuum collision. Orbits diverge. Farewell, love. - David Brin
Longed for him. Got him. Shit. - Margaret Atwood
From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings. - Gregory Maguire
With bloody hands, I say good-bye. - Frank Miller
The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly. - Orson Scott Card
TIME MACHINE REACHES FUTURE!!! … nobody there … - Harry Harrison
