Gabriel's Garden: August 2007

Friday, August 31, 2007

Um, re-reading that one might be justified in assuming that Cam had some interest in Male backs....not in that way:-) We were having a conversation about what is 'attractive' and I had a fairly atypical explanation melt-down (always a verbal thing,-let me write it and It'll be closer to what I meant in the first place). Hence the blog. Following; that's why I mentioned Cam. Ergh. Shutup already Cath.

Sans imagerie...

I was all ready to post about the extreme beauty of the male back, but buggered if I can find any images. I googled and googled and googled some more. I was given 'stock' image of model (yawn), beetles with eggs on their backs and the back view of an obese male (call me shallow, but I don't find illness attractive).
So, calling all people who can actually use a computer (and don't just pretend like me), Pweeeease send me an image of a nice male back. No Fabio's, no body builders, just a nice male back (like the ones you see of an evening).
I will then photoshop and add arrows and explanations for (my) joy at this sight. This is mainly for Cam, but also because after my (admittedly half-arsed) search, there seems to be great dearth of 'back people' out there.
Have I got a fetish? ....whoohoo! How exciting! I'm really really left now!....

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Things That Make One's Heart Beat Faster

'It is night and one is expecting a visitor. Suddenly one is startled by the sound of rain-drops, which the wind blows against the shutters'

-The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon 965AD

A spray of pear blossom in spring, covered with drops of rain; A hot fragrant bath, a silk robe, sweet-smelling skin and the breath of your lover; The muted hush of an audience as the lights go down; William Blake read by candlelight, The deep rumble of a man's voice, An evening chill in the open air laced with the faintest smell of jasmine, hot skin sliding into cool water, the accidental brush of fingertips, a storm aproaching over mountains; a skilled musician playing, a solitary man watching rain on his windows, walking over smooth stones in the fog; Wisteria blossoms falling in a light breeze; Epic battles and tales of hero's; a blank sheet of paper and something burning inside that wants to fill it; Wooden bookshelves piled high with well-read volumes; Horses unsaddled and running in the early morning; The flung spray and the blown spume and the seagulls crying; the song of the wolf; a father with his newborn baby; museums full of silence and shadow; mango juice trickling down your chin on hot summer nights, the muscles moving on a man's back as he swims alone; lychee nectar over shaved ice; an unexpected hand-written letter; Eyes that speak secrets; bare skin on sun-warmed rocks; the moment something changes; a solitary violin in a minor key; Ripe strawberries hidden under leaves; spider-webs glistening with dew; discovering a wild plum tree; the grace of a dancer; the notion that he's alone and thinking of you; a hint of warmth and fragrant skin beneath a suit, wood-fire smoke in the early evening; expensive Pinot in fine glass sipped alone while watching night fall; the solitary cry of a black cockatoo at sunset; bare feet on warm sand or cool soft grass; faces in firelight; overhearing soft forbidden sighs; walking alone in warm rain; the smell of chestnuts roasting outdoors beneath autumn trees; Eating warm passionfruit from the vine; drowning in Symphonic sound alone and in the company of hundreds; words that are not spoken; finding by accident old love-letters and reading them slowly; ruins and gnarled orchards; sleeping on crisp cotton sheets covered by a warm breeze; a man building a wooden house; the glint of fool's gold in a running stream; ripe tomatoes on the vine; poppies in a field of wheat; bathing in moonlight; the moment before he arrives; howling winds while buried under a soft quilt; autumn leaves crunching under boots; kissing in water; tea, turtlenecks and solitude.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

0 Weddings..

That was one fantastic funeral! I'm still giggling:-). Now, before anyone attacks me for my terrible lack of propriety or sense of occasion, -Mopsi herself insisted on everyone having a good time! Some beautiful words were spoken by friends of the Mops. A venerable poet conjured up the 60's in Darlinghurst and the Cross, an ex-student sang a poignant and funny song about friendship and the importance of drinking into the wee hours, Shereen Hennessy drew an evocative and moving picture of Mopsi the teacher in the 3 Stage years, andthe service finished with Gail asking everyone to Dance out of the chapel. Now, I have always hated audience participation (when I'm in an audience), But Brett and I kind of linked up and shuffled (sorta) rhythmically towards the entrance. Both of us had large melons lodged in our throats and were studiously avoiding looking at each other or anyone else in case the optical faucets kicked in. -I know it's OK to cry at funerals but once I start...

Then the single most fabulous thing I have ever seen occurred;

Directly in front of us was a sweet little old lady, bent almost double with a cane, floral print dress and neat little handbag. She was making her unsteady way towardss the doors when she stopped, grabbed a pew for support, hoisted the floral print dress and waved one spindly pin about in a true 'Can-Can' high kick and leg twirl.

Floral print dress was smoothed, cane retrieved and her old-lady progress towards the doors resumed.

I laughed and laughed and laughed! There, at the end of the funeral, Brett and I clutched each other in the chapel, just about wetting ourselves.

Somewhere up there, I can just feel Mopsi grinning.

(photo by Dave.B. shot during 'Droughtbreaker' rehearsals at the Paramatta Riverside Theatre)

Monday, August 27, 2007

stolen apples

It's a night of reflection and blergh-dom, so some snooping into other people's lives was required. I love reading Dale and Gem. They remind me of the writer I wanted to be (and the inner-city lifestyle I still, occasionally, get misty over). This wee quiz stole from the superb accordian girl, who stole it from a blue smurf. Tag-team theft is fun in the early hours with a good bottle of chardonnay and a cigarette.

1) Name two factors that majorly influenced your childhood.

1) My warm and dour Scottish Grandma who warned everyone out of her kitchen but whose garden was a place of magic and wonder

2) The unbelievable patience and goodness of my father.

2) What is the most recent thing that has surprised or shocked you?

The vitriol aimed at vegans when we speak out about anything at all

3) What makes you feel like a kid again?

Climbig trees, jumping over river-rocks, making dams in streams for no good reason, being ill and having mum come over to make me tea and toast. Catching penny lizards.

.4) If you could design something of your own creation with complete access to everything you need at no cost, what would you create?

Can I have two?

1) Thousands of hectares of lovingly restored land filled with animals rescued from all exploitative industries,-feed and veterinary acre for all, and jobs for all vegans who wish nothing more than to help.

2) A splendiforous production of Wilde's 'Salome' with Nubian slaves, pyrotechnics, full orchestra, digital images and sound fusion, tonnes of publicity and the best actors in all roles.

5Do you have brand loyalty? If so, to whom are you loyal?)

Benson & Hedges (Shameful, but true)

6) Name an unusual pet peeve you have.

The sound of the television if no-one's watching it. Play with the PC, listen to the stereo, -whatever! Just don't have the TV on at the same time. Noise is bad.

7) What was the last thoughtful thing that you did for someone else?

Cleaned Brett's room and added a teapot of fresh freesias and blossoms to his night-stand. (...Not that thoughtful,-I prefer a clean house....maybe the flowers count?)

8) Growing up, you were known as the kid who ___ .

wouldn't stay inside.

9) What is your most notable trait?

erm...ask someone who notices my 'traits'...Cam? Brett? Anyone? Do I have one?

10) Do you enjoy getting dressed up? Why or why not?

Only if I'm not having a 'fat day'. Fat day= 'trussed up' not 'dressed up'. Dressing for a character? Yes. -Highly enjoyable.

Go on Cam, Dale, Nick, McInley, Gem....answer some silly questions:-) Pweeeeease??!!:-)

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Miracle of Miracles...

Just 'cos I know you're all dying to come and see it...

Show Dates
Saturday, October 20, 2007 - 8:00 PM Saturday, October 27, 2007 - 2:00 PM Saturday, October 27, 2007 - 8:00 PM Friday, November 02, 2007 - 8:00 PM Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 2:00 PM Saturday, November 03, 2007 - 8:00 PM Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 2:00 PM
Please contact the Musical Society at bmmsmusicals@bmms.org.au for any further information.
Ticket Prices
A Reserve
$30.00
Adults

$25.00
Senior and Student
B Reserve
$25.00
Adults

$20.00
Senior and Student
Less 10% discount for groups of 15 or more.Children 16 and under: $20.00 A Reserve, and $15.00 B Reserve.

Who makes the cut?

This may seem an odd thing to be thinking about, but I was watching '60 Minutes' tonight whilst having dinner, and they aired a story on circumcision.

To cut, or not to cut? This question may become very very important to me in the next couple of years. What if I have a boy?

This from Westmead Children's Hospital;

Very few boys need circumcision for medical reasons. However, recurrent infections under the foreskin (balanitis), or abnormal tightness of the foreskin (phimosis) may lead to the operation being recommended. If you think that your boy has a medical reason for circumcision, discuss this with your doctor. Usually foreskin problems can be treated without the need for an operation.

From what I can gather, Doctors recommend against circumcision unless serious problems develop. The problem is that it becomes more and more traumatic and less able to be forgotten as time passes. Horrible story about a boy who had to be circumcised at age 7 (with accompanying stitches/removal etc).

Brett has vague notions about a boy and his father being the same, but I question how much time they will really spend looking at each other's todgers...I mean, seriously,-is that what Fathers and Sons do?

Then there's the argument that this operation is performed without the child's knowledge, understanding or consent. OK, wouldn't that be just about everything that happens to a baby? You don't not vaccinate your child because they can't request that you stop. You don't choose food based on your baby's preferences, but make studied decisions based on nutrition and medical advice.

OK, so I think I stand on the side of 'No Cut' but I pray pray pray that my son never has a serious UTI, balanitis or phimosis. Apparently normal hygiene generally means the we trouser snake will be OK, but who ever knew a little boy who likes to shower carefully every day?

AAAAGGGHHH!!!

I haven't made up my mind at all. that was a blatant lie,-sorry. Any feedback from the male population here, very gratefully received.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

As happy as a pig in...

I got a treat today,'cos I've been a good girl.

Firstly, I was given a beautiful day. 24 odd degrees, cool breeze, warm winter sun.

Secondly I was driven down to Glenbrook to gather some lovely free mushroom compost from the odd little mushroom farm off the highway. I hold the garbage bags and Brett shovels it in. Go team, Go!

Thirdly I was treated to a leisuely drive down to Sun Valley to buy Cow Poo, Lucerne and seed potatoes. I was also allowed to coo over the beautiful layer hens they had there for sale, as well as having a fairly decent chat with a male and female pheasant. I flirted a little with a jet-black rooster who was literally half the size of me, and Brett didn't mind at all. Lastly, I indulged in some pretty inane baby-talk with some wee hatchlings. They didn't have much to say, having only been on the planet for about a week. Some excitement about how fun straw is, and how yummy food can be.

Home again and the human earth-mover gallantly carries all the heavy stuff from the car down to the vege garden, where I am gently admonished to put on sunscreen and a hat. He leaves me standing amongst piles of excrement with my shovel, literally grinning from ear to ear. Come to think of it, I'm sure I was even happier than the proverbial aforementioned porcine individual.

1 hr later. The garden has been nourished by a lovely mixture of very stinky cow-poo, lucerne hay and tonne of mushroom compost. Into this warm bed of yuck went seeds for golden squash, and my seed potatoes. Everything was watered briefly, and now I'm tickng off the minutes til 4pm when I can go out and give the whole kit 'n' kaboodle a good drenching (1 and 3/4 hours).

Following the drenching, I intend to weed amongst my love-in-a-mists and herbs, aquasol the flowers and have long lavender and ylang ylang bubble-bath.

Thus refreshed I will embark upon barbecue seitan steaks with hassleback potatoes, cauliflower gratin, honey/sesame carrots, steamed broccoli and brown-onion gravy for Dinner.

All in all, a most satisfactory kind of day that leaves you feeling kind of clean, and earthy and healthy and good. Highly recommended as the kind of day to have whenever you can.

The root of all evil

What is it with me and money? I watched Oprah. She assured me that if I 'followed my heart' wealth would come as easily as a man who hasn't had any for 2 months.

So, mum and I came up with the 'great' idea of 'masterclases' in weeks 3, 6 and 9 of the schoold term for exam candidates (and anyone else who has a vague notion that they might actually like to affect and audience at some stage).

Results;

Masterclass No1: 3 students

Masterclass No2: 2 students (one didn't pay)

Between us, we have over 40 students.

So, this morning, aching with cramps and very weary after not sleeping due to the aforementioned, I turn up with loaded brain, tons of resources and energy that mystically comes from nowhere.

I spend 3 hrs with these people.

I dance around like a monkey on speed, hoping that my energy is contagious.

Nothing......NOTHING.

Worse, I had to repeat endlessly in 'new and stimulating' ways. One of these 'students' has had about 5 hours of intensive training on his song.(Me, Brett and Mum)-Between us, BCA, Assoc Dip.Dram. Art. A.Mus.A, L. Mus.A. A.T.C.L, F.T.C,L. Dip.Ed.

Guess what? NOTHING, You would think we had never said a word. 5 hours of blocking, history character development, vocal production, physicality...NOTHING.

Why the cuck do I bother? No Money, no freakin' satisfaction. No MINDS that work.

Apparently 'follow your heart' is only sensible if your 'heart' is in investment banking.

Maybe it's a feng shui thing. May 'left corners' are sadly neglected. I have no money tree. I don't like green and purple combined in anything but violets, primulas and grapes (and none of these grow readily in the left coner of my living room)

So, feng feck yourself. I'm tired of constant effort and no money left to buy a bottle of wine. I'm tired of people. I'm tired of justifying 'the arts' to people who will never care.

I'm weary of sacrifice. I click my ruby slippers, 'There's no place like home' and I find the only people in the goddam universe who seem to give a damn.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

See you in Valhalla old girl...

I have been instructed not to be sad. I have been asked to be happy that her suffering is over and that she's moved on to better things. However, I am sad. This woman was one of the true unsung heros of Australian Theatre. When I was a very green, very unaware teenager, this is the woman who showed me the magic of the stage. It was at her knee that I caught my life-long theatre-virus. A small dark theatre full of smoke, acerbic comments from our director, that infectious laugh that was somewhere between a 'tee-hee' and a cough. The thoughtful pause before ANY question was answered (usually filled with a cigarette inhalation). The delight I had in telling my parents that my tutor's name was 'Mopsi Beans' ,-and my first inkling that there was such a thing as a 'stage name'. The forbidden pleasures of my first real role in a grown-up play in a real theatre, and the first grown-up kisses with a cast member. The smell of dry-ice, greasepaint, dust and hairspray. Her constant admonition of 'one thing in one space' (that many directors seem to ignore). Her mothering of 'The furries'(fairy's). Believing myself within a character whilst playing in the grounds of the primary school for the first time. The joy of meeting her again as an adult and feeling the years slip away like running water. My strong disagreements with her decisions, but equally strong respect for them. My gratefulnesss that Brett got to work with one of my childhood hero's for the first and last time. Here's to you Elizabeth. I promise to get 'silly' at your wake and to do you proud every time I set foot on a stage. You will always be with me and all your other fledglings.

I hope there is a God and that she's gone to Heaven,-she could sure tell that dude a thing or too about 'one thing in one space'. Have a good rest now my old friend. -Will be on the look-out for your good self at the 'Cow'...

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

too damn exciting!

I luuuuuurve soft pretzels. As a result of my current bread-making craze, I have decided to move on to soft pretzels. (The Cath you net see may be a few pounds heavier....:-)

Actually, I have to hand the credit to Brett. I was shaping rolls out of my dough yesterday and he decided to make a pretzel for me out of his dough. We sprinkled it with vegan parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper, but left it in the oven too long, so it was crispy instead of soft:-(.

Never one to balk at a challenge though, I WILL master the warm, soft salty pretzel and I will experiment with toppings until I get something damn close to Pretzel World's 'European Garlic' pretzels (which I adored, but have since found out that they use parmesan on their topping, so no more for me:-()

For the dough:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) instant yeast
1 cup warm water (you may need a little more)
For the pretzel topping:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
kosher salt
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl with your hands. Work the ingredients together until you can form a ball. If the dough is very dry, add a bit more warm water until it comes together. The dough will look messy, but don’t worry about it.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and begin kneading by pushing the dough away with the heel of your hand, and then folding it back in onto itself. Push the dough away again and then fold back in. Continue this motion, working the dough until it’s smooth. This should take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can knead the dough in a mixer with your dough hook for 5 to 6 minutes).
Once the dough is done, sprinkle some flour on the dough and put it in a large, oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to an hour. It will rise considerably.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and set aside.
Divide your dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a long rope that’s roughly 24 inches in length. (Don’t make it too long or your pretzels will be too thin.)
Taking hold of the ends of the rope, cross the rope over itself to form a circle with about 4 to 5 inches on each end that are sticking out. Twist the ends over themselves and secure each end on either side of the pretzel.
Carefully dip the pretzel in the water and then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the other pieces of dough.
Sprinkle the pretzels with the kosher salt and let them rest for about 15 minutes.
Put the pretzels in the oven for 6 minutes, then rotate the trays and bake for an additional 6 minutes. Keep an eye on the pretzels so that they don’t burn.
Remove the pretzels from the oven and immediately brush them with the butter. Keep brushing them with butter until you’ve used it all.
Serve the pretzels warm with plenty of mustard or another condiment of your choice.
Enjoy!

Monday, August 20, 2007

Rainy day experiment

I'm feeling quite the little medieval housewife, so I'm currently baking my own bread!

Beacuse the recipe I used made approximately 40 gazillion tons of dough, I thought I'd make Brett some nice little vegan pizza scrolls for school.

So very easy,

(1) In a non-stick skillet fry off finely chopped onion, capsicum, mushroom, left-over seitan, italian herbs, garlic, salt & pepper and passata

(2) roll out bread dough into a flat rectangle

(3) spread pizza mix evenly over the dough

(4) grate Cheezely super-melting mozarella liberally over the top

(5) roll up and cut.

(6) Bake for 18-20 minutes at 200 degrees.

Voila!

He has to stay late at school today too, so he's going to be oh-so-pleased to come home to these yummies! Once again, my lack of a digital camera is annoying me somewhat. I might beg mother most piteously and see if she'll lend me hers for the evening.

The bread rolls are for cajun seitan burgers (dinner) and they'll be pretty too. Hmmm, watch this space...

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Freedom's heavy chain

I am, in essence, a fairly 'reactive' person. Hence, this is just a quick post related to both Cam and McKinley's most recent dissertations. Looking over my posts, it does seem that my two main concerns are veganism and porn. One informs the other. Seriously, once you start questioning the foundations of society, there are many inter-linked doors. Mainstream media and it's profit-motivated CEO's strike out on both (veg/porn). Many thanks to McInley for her links to Jensen's articles, -the following are thought-provoking extracts (bold highlighting indicating the phrases that really hit home to me). Enjoy;

" Listening to many on the left defend pornography, one would think the material is being made by struggling artists tirelessly working in lonely garrets to help us understand the mysteries of sexuality. Nothing could be further from the truth; the pornography industry is just that -- an industry, dominated by the pornography production companies that create the material, with mainstream corporations profiting from its distribution."

"News Corp. is a major owner of DirecTV, which sells more pornographic films than Flynt. In 2000, the New York Times reported that nearly $200 million a year is spent by the 8.7 million subscribers to DirecTV. Among News Corp.’s other media holdings are the Fox broadcasting and cable TV networks, Twentieth Century Fox, the New York Post, and TV Guide. Welcome to synergy: Murdoch also owns HarperCollins, which published pornography star Jenna Jameson’s best-selling book How To Make Love Like A Porn Star."

"So, men’s choices to buy or rent pornography are complicated by two realities. First, he likely can’t know the conditions under which women made their choices, and hence can’t know how meaningful the choices were. And second, even if he could make such a determination about specific women in a specific film he watches, the demand for pornography that his purchase helps create ensures that some other women will be hurt."

It's like being a vegan. When you know how deep the rabbit-hole goes, you are then presented with difficult choices as to how far you will go in your stance. Twentieth centure fox for example, ridig on the substantial profits of it's porn holding through Newscorp. It's not excatly a life-necessity, but should one boycott TCF via non-attendance? And Murdoch? I know at least one person who will be asking this corporate giant for collaborative assistance in the near future.

To close, this was my favourite ,-very succinct.

"If anyone wants to dismiss these concerns with the tired old phrases "to each his own" and "as long as they are consenting adults"...that is, if you want to ignore the reality and complexity of the world in which we live---I can't stop you. But I can tell you that if you do, you a abandoning minimal standards of political and moral responsibility, and you become partially responsible for the injuries done as a result of a system you refuse to confront"

Indeed.

I'm in love (again)

I have rediscovered the most beautiful piece of music. 'The Water Mill' by Ralph Vaughan Williams [poem by Fredegond Shove] -what a name! Anyway, obviously, there was no handy-dandy link to a recording that I could include here for your auditory delight, but if you have a chance, please try and listen to this. 'Magical' springs to mind, but that's really the understatement of the millenium. (Oh, I have the sheet music Cam, so gues what you're playing next time you're up!)

The Water Mill

There is a mill, an ancient one,
Brown with rain, and dry with sun,
The miller's house is joined with it.
And in July the swallowsflit
To and Fro, in and out,
Round the windows, all about;
The mill wheel whirrs and the waters roar
ut of the dark arch by the door,
The willows toss their silver heads,
And the phloxes in the garden beds
Turn red, turn grey
With the time of day,
And smell sweet in the rain, then die away.
The miller's cat is a tabby, she
is as lean as a healthy cat can be,
She plays in the loft where the sunbeams stroke
The sacks' fat backs, the beetles choke
In the floury dust. The wheel goes round
And the miller's wife sleeps fast and sound.
There is a clock inside the house,
Very tall and bright,
It strike the hour when shadows drowse,
Or showers make the windows white;
Loud and sweet, in rain and sun,
The clock strikes, and the work is done.
The miller's wife ad his eldest girl
Clean and cook, while the mill wheels whirl.
The children take their meat to school,
And at dusk they play by the twilit pool;
Bare-foot, bare-head
Till the day is dead,
And their mother calls them into bed.
The supper stands on the clean-scrubbed board,
And the miller drinks like a thirsty lord;
The young men come for his daughter's sake,
But she never knows which one to take:
She drives her needle, and pins her stuff,
While the moon shines gold, and the lamp shines buff.

Friday, August 17, 2007

5 star bliss

So, I went to Darley's after all. Just me, mum, dad and Gavin. (Brett rather gratefully stayed home wth a pizza and his playstation).
I have to say, IF one had the $$, it would be worth every brass farthing.
The setting, food, service, music is a symphony of pleasure. Every note perfectly placed to enhance the other. The waiters were attentive but never obsequious, friendly but not overly familiar. The lighting made everyone look like a movie star.
Aperitif: Chilled tomato reduction with olive oil andwholmeal bread. Delicious, refreshing, cleaned the palate while waking it up for delights to come...in a word a very good beginning.
Entree: A light salad of mixed baby greens, wafter thin radish and a raspberry vinaigrette that I could have drunk by the pint. Perfectly dressed (no residue on the bottom of the plate).
Main: Roast vegetables with toasted almonds, salsify and baby nasturtium leaves. Vegetables perfectly cooked and seasoned with the sharp offset of the greens and a side of sugar snap peas. Absoutlely perfect.
Dessert (Not for me) but Dad had Tomah almond tarte with roasted pear, marscapone and maple syrup. Obviously, I didn't have any marscapone, but the balance of flavour was again, masterful. The walnuts reained their own wonderful earthy character without being overwhelmed by sugar, the roasted pear added a delightful paradox of caramelized freshness, and the maple syrup was in pefect quantity to add sweet smokiness without overwhelming any of the other flavours.
Wine: Started with a 2004 western australian pinot (can't remember the vineyard!). It was soooo smooth. No nasty hit on the palate, no obvious taste of alcohol, and a truly identifiable 'grape'. It should be mentioned that I've never in my life had wine that expensive, but I can see that, if one could afford it,-you'd never drink anything else.
Followed by a 2005 Bollinger. Again, bubbles that danced around your palate and a mellow golden fruitiness that finished the meal and led to warm-hearted, contented conversation.
All in all, I could handle this (on special occasions)! Of course, the joys in life are generally due to contrast, The day after such an experience on should have toast & tea, a sandwich and a barbecue.
The grand total of this marvellous excursion into decadence? Over $500. The family handled that possible 'nasty' beautifully. Where we should have turned white and offered to do the dishes,-mum dad and little Bro organized cash neatly, efficiently and with no fuss.
I know it was decadent, I know what other great good could have come from that money, but at very least, I think we hadan experience here that will last a lifetime. I'm certainly not going to forget the experience in a hurry. Hugh Whitehouse,-you and your team are true masters of your art,-what a pleasure and an honour to be able to experience it.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Naive or evil?

I did expect this. Once again, an acquaintance trotted out the 'But Hitler was a vegetarian' argument. The idea behind this statement is to discredit the somewhat fatuous notion presented by some veg*ns that a plant based diet leads to a more peaceful and gentle nature, and that the world will never be at peace while people continue to eat meat. I personally don't give this much credence as it is patently unsupported by an kind of study, and (to my mind) is seriously disrespectful to both parties. It's precisely this kind of blanket statement that makes veg*ns seem like left-wing emotional fanatics. Speaking anecdotally, I haven't experienced any great differences in my levels of 'peace' since eschewing meat. When people piss me off, I get angry. Having a carrot doesn't help.

Anyway, here's some fun 'facts' (all from dodgy web-sites) about the evils of being a veg*n.

In Nazi Germany, practices such as vivisection were characterized as Jewish (by relating them to the ritual of kosher slaughter) and thereby vilified. Subsequently, reverence for the "rights" of animals was used to justify the oppression of Jewish people.

Vegans and vegetarians are now in a panic to produce articles denying that Hitler was ever a vegetarian, simply because they don't want him to be one. All of the people saying he was not a vegetarian are vegetarians and none of them are historians. None of them actually know for sure, but they feel that if they shout it loudly enough, people will have to believe them. Vegans are always an angry lot and are accustomed to having people back down from arguments with them.

Pol Pot and Charles Manson were also vegetarians. Pol Pot, a VEGAN.

From my (limited) research, Adolf's vegetarianism is a hotly debated topic amongst historians. Some insist he was, some say he ate ham, liver dumplings, caviar and pheasant on a regular basis. Goebbels speech is often used to 'prove' Hitler's vegetarianism, but frankly, he doesn't strike me as the most trustworthy of sources....

I don't give a damn if he was or wasn't. He also had a nose,-does that mean we should all chop our noses off to avoid comparisons? Bobby Fisher (the international Chess champ) was a raving anti-semite but this doesn't seem to stop people playing chess.

Equally annoying are the types that trot out Leonardo Da Vinci, Bernard Shaw etc as proof that veg*ism leads to a superior mind.

This may be a shock but there have been many many nasty veg*ns and meat-eaters around over the years. Less veges, but only (I posit) because there are substantially less of them in our populations (about 3-5%).

I am not more/less brilliant because I don't eat meat. I am not more/less peaceful because I don't eat meat. I have substantially reduced my ecological footprint though, and appeased my own (personal) feelings of guilt. That's enough for me. Oh, and I'm marrying a Jew.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Seitan's Lair

Veganism can really ruffle some feathers. If one mentions the ominous 'V' word, or addresses blatantly false stereotypes (like veg*ism makes you pale/skinny/anaemic/weak/anorexic),-the howling begins. One lone howler is soon joined by others until you find yourself surrounded by a pack of snarling carnivores. What do they howl? "Stoooooop judging uuuuuuuuuuus! We have the riiiiight to eat as we pleeeeeeease! Youuuuuuuu are a crazy persoooooooonnnn!" (that's an approximate translation,-I don't speak carnivore so I may be incorrect).

So, to address the howlers with the same levels of respect as I have been shown;

" Has anyone stopped to think about the environmental impact of factories created to produce soy milk, tofu and "not meat" products? These things aren't plucked from the ground in this form yet the damage caused by this process is ok because they don't contain meat?"

No, I have never read a comparative scientific study on the aformentioned. I am an unreasonable fanatic with absolutely no scientific basis for my nutritional/enviromental decisions. Of course the damage cause by this process is OK....sheeesh, I don't care if we wreck the planet, just as long as the cute fluffy animals are OK.

BUT....Quantification of the environmental impact of different dietary protein choices1,2,3
Lucas Reijnders and Sam Soret
1 From the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics: Center for Sustainable Development, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands (LR), and the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, CA (SS). The journal picked soy studies for a comparison, lucky for you. Meat production took more land (6 to 17 times as much), water (4.4 to 26 times), fossil fuels (6 to 20 times), and biocides (a lumped-together category of pesticides and chemicals used in processing -- 6 times as much). In fact, meat lost in every category. When processing and transport is factored in to the equation, the difference becomes less extreme, but it's still there. Meat-based diets use about twice as many environmental resources as soy-based diets. Despite concerns about deforestation and genetic engineering, soy appears to be the winner here.

Mind you, that's only one study. It's probably wrong.

"For people who don't want to be picked on or judged for their life choice they generally spend alot of time trying to convince others that their way is right"

So, if someone believes something strongly they should expect to be picked on? It wasn't so long ago that 'Environmentalists' were tarred with a similar brush (clearly labelled 'for use on lunatic fanatics'). You can't win this one (I've tried). If you never mention you're a vegan, people attack you when they find out for not having strong enough conviction to speak up. If you tell people straight up, you're'shoving it in their face'. If you respond to a vegan-themed blog and it's comments you're 'trying to convince others that your way is right'

"Some people need more [iron] than a vegie diet can provide, including an aneamic friend of mine who was ordered by her doctor to eat liver and kidney"

I am still seraching for the mysterious study that confirms this oft-trotted-out urban myth.

Some might expect that since the vegan diet contains a form of iron that is not that well absorbed, vegans might be prone to developing iron deficiency anemia. However, surveys of vegans 2,3 have found that iron deficiency anemia is no more common among vegetarians than among the general population although vegans tend to have lower iron stores 3.
The reason for the satisfactory iron status of many vegans may be that commonly eaten foods are high in iron. In fact, if the amount of iron in these foods is expressed as milligrams of iron per 100 calories, many foods eaten by vegans are superior to animal-derived foods. (1) For example, you would have to eat more than 1700 calories of sirloin steak to get the same amount of iron as found in 100 calories of spinach.
Another reason for the satisfactory iron status of vegans is that vegan diets are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C acts to markedly increase absorption of non-heme iron. Adding a vitamin C source to a meal increases non-heme iron absorption up to six-fold which makes the absorption of non-heme iron as good or better than that of heme iron 4.

1. Haddad EH, Berk LS, Kettering JD, Hubbard RW, Peters WR. Dietary intake and biochemical, hematologic, and immune status of vegans compared with nonvegetarians. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70(suppl):586S-93S.
2. Obeid R, Geisel J, Schorr H, et al. The impact of vegetarianism on some haematological parameters. Eur J Haematol. 2002;69:275-9.
3. Hallberg L. Bioavailability of dietary iron in man. Ann Rev Nutr 1981;1:123-147.
4. Gleerup A, Rossander Hulthen L, Gramatkovski E, et al. Iron absorption from the whole diet: comparison of the effect of two different distributions of daily calcium intake. Am J Clin Nutr 1995;61:97-104.

" Give me a scientific study that shows how bad meat is and I'm sure I could find one that says the contrary"

Of course you can. Might want to check out who is funding said studies too. The MLA has put out some fabulously positive studies on the benefits of red meat. They also use Sam Neill in their adds (a qualified dietician).

There, I hope that answered a few nagging howls. Now, run off and bury a bone somewhere.

How do I tell them?

OK, so I took mum and dad up to Lillianfells the other day for coffee to show them where Brett and I would be spending our wedding night. It was lovely. We had tea and biscuits in the lounge, were shown the rooms and had a great time wandering about checking out the facilities (with me in trackies, a jumper and sneakers!).

The upshot is that mum wants to take Gavin to 'Darley's' (their restaurant) for his belated birthday celebration on friday.

Well and good, except it's $75 per person for two courses and $98 for three. Now, Brett and I can afford this for our wedding night but...that's it. We just can't do it.

The $150 needed would feed us (and Nimba) for two weeks. The spending of said amount would literally mean we wouldn't shop for two weeks.

This is difficult;

(a) it's my brother's birthday...it should be an indulgent 'I Love You' thing

(b) my brother is rich..this is normal for him

(d) if we say we can't come due to $$ they will feel they should pay for us,-which they can't afford

(e) if we cancel ' for some other reason' we'll be seen as uncaring and flippant

(f) is it petty of me to not want our 'wedding night' place to be previously eperienced by others? (even family?)

(g) AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

It's wednesday. The booking is for friday. What do I do???????

(It should be mentioned that we're taking out a loan for the wedding/night/reception) our normal income is woefully inadequate.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Six Foot Track.....

Let's do something different guys.

Today, I did about 1km of the Six Foot Track (starting in the Megalong Valley), and it struck me that a shared walking/camping experience with all my favourite people might just be a fabulous thing to do in September.

We should take 3 days and go from Blackheath to Jenolan. It's absolutely spectacular scenery and a great walk suitable for most fitness levels (even mine!). We'd remember it forever, and have an absolute ball filling up on fresh air, general silliness and camp food!

It also struck me that I have always loved camping and tramping, but haven't done it in ages. D'ya wanna?

Just let me know if you're interested and I'll try to find the time to do all the organising. Those that don't wish to walk,-car pickup at Jenolan on the last day would be greatly appreciated! (My parents have offered but obviously, they can only fit 4 people in the car. Depending on how many of you want to come,-we may need someone else to do some driving too.

I know this all sounds horribly fit and healthy and not at all like what we usually do (sit around and drink....), but I think it will be oodles of fun, and will create great memories for us all...

I should mention that you probably don't want to come along if you don't have the following;

(A) A Tent

(b) decent walking shoes

I'm happy to organise to an extent, but I can't be buggered sorting out everyone's sleeping/eating arrangements, so that part would be entirely up to you. (Mind you, if Millie and Boo come along, we're almost guaranteed the most ridculously delicious camp food you've ever experienced:-). I'd also suggest a camera or two be included, and a guitar (if anyone can be buggered carrying the damn thing). I would go booze-free too. Don't know about you, but I don't much fancy climbing up hill and down dale with a hangover:-)

If I have no interest, I'm still going to try and convince Brett to do it with me and we'll go alone, but it would be nice to make it a group event. See what you can all do and get back to me:-)

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Did I mention gerry?

(Chuckle) I might go to bed now. Mind you, knowing my brain, I'll dream that he's a spider king and sets his minions upon me. Seriously,-you wouldn't believe how many ruddy dreams I have about ruddy spiders. They chase me (the last one was foot sized and had a large pink spot on it's back, it moved very fast and chased me from room to room).

What do spiders signify in dreams anyway?

It's aliiiiive

I'm just a shameless cheapskate. It's a fact, so stop howling "No Cath, you're a Goddess!" (It gets tiring). I was doing some trawling a few weeks ago and came across one of the strongest weight loss pills available (apart from ephedra, which, let's face it, is more expensive than speed and works about the same), It's called Lipovox (insert registered trade mark etc) and was developed by a Hawaiin colleg student after watching Oprah. So far, peerless credentials right? Well, I then looked it up in detail and there were, like, heaps of testimonials from people with real-sounding names like Tara from Virginia, and Karen from Michigan.

The Ingredients are quite impressive:

acai berries
barley juice
cayenne pepper
wheatgrass
garlic
buckwheat
flaxseed
alfalfa
lactobacillus acidophillus
soy
green tea
salmon
alpha lipoic acid
dmae

So, OK. Quite impressive (apart from the dead fish). But I looked hard for the 'weight loss' ingredients, i.e. something that would speed up metabolism or burn fat. ONE ingredient stood out, ye olde Cayenne.

So, instead of spending $65US a bottle, I decided to whip up my own version of the above, just out of curiosity.

So, I bought a cannister of powdered greens (alfalfa, barley grass, spirulina), some flaxseed oil and some cayenne pepper.

In the spirit of Scientific experimentation I have had a glass of my 'mix' every morning for 6 days. To be totally objective, I decided not to exercise (Lord, that was sooooo hard) at all during this period and observe any weight loss.

Now, at the risk of sounding like a testimonial, it has had some results.

1) It certainly wakes you up of a morning. (That would be the Cayenne) my usual reaction is 'Whoo! Whah! Sheesh! Blah Blah....erg! Zammo!'

2) My skin looks fabulous. Really smooth and spot-free.

3) Crows-feet seem to be reduced (to my eye)

4) I have lost 2kgs.

Also, my stubborn abdominal bits have reduced! Things are a lot firmer! Now, I DID NOT exercise. I went up to Springwood a couple of times to run errands, but apart from getting in and out of a car and usual walking from post-office to bank to supermarket...nothing.

So, I guess the Cayenne works huh? I'm equally certain that the cayenne would work by itself but I figure that the extra vitamins from the greens and the omega 3's from the flaxseed can nly be of benefit.

I hate that women all aver the globe spend thousands upon thousands of dollars for these miraculous weight loss pills, so if there's a way of replicating the effects cheaply and efficiently, I wil spread the word.

Of course, this was not a clinical trial. I would love the backing to make it into one, but,-hey, it's too dan simple.

So, I will continue to experiment with my little concoction, but I (legally) urge everyone else to hold off and see if I'm dead in 6 months before you jump on this bandwagon. Wow, I feel soooo Frankenstein.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Crimson Velvet cupcakes

photo courtesy of eyelevelpasadena.com

These little beauties will make you weep! They're so pretty and sooooo orgasmolicious:-)

1 cups vegetable oil1 cups sugar1 quantity of no- egg2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powdera good sploosh red food coloring1 1/4 cups flourpinch salt1 teaspoons vanilla extract1/2 cup buttermilk1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 tablespoon white vinegarFor the frosting:1 tub tofutti plain flavoured cream cheese 1 cups confectioner’s sugar2 tbsps nuttelex1 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 tablespoon milk
Good sploosh of lemon juice
preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F.In a mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the oil, sugar and eggs until creamy. In a separate small bowl, combine the cocoa powder and food coloring, and stir. Once you have a thick paste, add it to the mixer. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt with a whisk and set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the vanilla extract and buttermilk. Stir and set aside.Add half of the buttermilk mixture to the mixer and stir on a low speed. Add half of the flour mixture and combine. Alternate this process with the remaining wet and dry ingredients. When all wet and dry ingredients have been combined in the mixer, fold in the baking soda and vinegar.Line a mini muffin tray with mini muffin holders. Evenly distribute the batter among the cups. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting.
For the frosting:
In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the sugar and continue mixing until there are no lumps. Add milk to thin if necessary.

3 degrees of Gerry Butler

Yay Yay Yay! and whoo-hoo! 3 degrees of Gerard Butler (does happy spinny dance).

Though the various and never-ending wonders of the Facebook application that I was shamelessly peer-pressured into using, The marvellous and yummilicious Gerry moves ever closer to my midnight realm...Mwah hah hah:-)

To anyone that thinks I'm being horribly disloyal to my fiancee, Hah! We've already discussed such things and Gerry's my 'Get out of jail free' card. Never fear, Maggie Gyllenhall has the great honour of being Brett's:-)

To those uninitiated: The 'Get our of jail free' system is designed to allow one a substantial celebrity crush that in the unexpected and unlikely event of 'actual possibility' will be summarily ignored by your partner. In our system, this does not include sex, but could include the following

* Deep and soul-searching conversation

* Kissing

* A little bit more intense kissing

* Roaming hands

* Offers of co-starring roles in next film...etc

I think it's quite jolly and progressive actually, AND nearly all couples have their own version of it, so I'm very normal actually.

Also, it should be mentioned that our celebrities are pretty obvious analogues of each other (just richer/skinier/more famous/better teeth). Gerard, tall, scruffy, bearded, 'phwoooor' rather than 'handsome',; Maggie; more famous brother(!), white skinned, dark haired, blue eyed, indie type.

See how well-adjusted we really are? Now, if Brett had chosen Scarlett Johansen I would have had issues. -Admittedly the system isn't perfect=P

So, all you Gerry tarts out there,-read 'em and weep 3 DEGREES, that's right. Ha Ha!