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Posts Tagged ‘postaday’

A Phalanx of Photos

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on November 28, 2014| 5 Comments »

I’m trying to think of a good collective noun for a bunch of photos. Do you like “a phalanx of photos”? How about “a frittata of photos”?

In any case, I’m going to dump some more photographs on you, but now that Bob no longer works in my office, I’ll never know if any of them are good.

Going back to Halloween, there was an artsy ghost in Wormwood Park (Fort Point), and a witch street sign that Erik photographed in Providence. I also have a picture of the moon before dawn and one of the early-morning sun on Trinity Congregational Church in Concord. Next is a wintry Audubon boardwalk in Bristol, Rhode Island. There’s a fall-themed window box, a cemetery with holly in the foreground, flowers in the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, and fire-escape shadows in Fort Point, Boston.

Wormwood-Park-ghost

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Thanksgiving with a Two-Year-Old

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 27, 2014| 2 Comments »

We decided on a restaurant for Thanksgiving this year, which was a daring thing to do with a two-year-old. He spent a good bit of time under the table. We read Mo Willems books about Gerald the elephant and his friend Piggie a few times. The waiter said he was reminded of himself at age two. He was a bundle of energy, he said, and that is how he has the energy to wait tables and bar-tend at two restaurants.

Erik expressed the spirit of American independence by having steak for his first year as a citizen. The rest of us had the turkey feast that Mill’s Tavern provided.

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Food Banks Try to Meet the Need

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 26, 2014| Leave a Comment »

With increasing numbers of Americans experiencing food insecurity, it seems like an appropriate time of year to be grateful that at least there are many goodhearted people managing food banks and community meals and doing what they can.

If you know of anyone in New England who could use the help just now, or if you want to volunteer or donate, this partial list may be a good starting place.

Rhode Island

http://www.rifoodbank.org
“The Rhode Island Community Food Bank works to end hunger in our state by providing food to people in need. We envision a day when all Rhode Islanders have access to nutritious food and a healthy lifestyle.

Massachusetts

East
http://Gbfb.org
“The Greater Boston Food Bank’s mission is to End Hunger Here. Our objective is to distribute enough food to provide at least one meal a day to those in need.”

West
https://www.foodbankwma.org/
“We are fortunate to live in such a special part of the country, allowing for the growth and harvest of a multitude of fresh fruits and vegetables. As this harvest season comes to an end, we have received more than 266,800 pounds of fresh produce — including potatoes, lettuce, carrots, apples and squash — donated by local farms this year.”

Vermont

http://www.vtfoodbank.org/FindFoodShelf.aspx
“If you are looking for a place to have a Thanksgiving meal or to volunteer to help cook, serve or clean-up, download our list of Thanksgiving meals.”

New Hampshire

http://www.nhfoodbank.org/
“Need Food? We Can Help. If you are in need of assistance, use our search to locate the nearest food pantry or soup kitchen to you. Search by your town or county, or view all of our partner agencies.”

Maine

http://www.foodpantries.org/st/maine
“There are several food pantries and food banks in the Maine. With help from users like you we have compiled a list of some. If you know of a listing that is not included here please submit new food pantries to our database.”

Connecticut

http://www.ctfoodbank.org/
“The mission of Connecticut Food Bank is to provide nutritious food to people in need. We distribute food and other resources to nearly 700 local emergency food assistance programs in six of Connecticut’s eight counties: Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Windham.”

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How Jazz Musician Mingus Trained His Cat

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

You never know what will turn up at Studio 360, a radio show on the arts. A feature on November 21 explained how one of the legendary jazz greats toilet-trained his cat.

“The jazz musician Charles Mingus was a celebrated band leader and one of the most important composers of his generation. But at the same time he was recording The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, he was working on another masterpiece of sorts. He figured out how to get his cat, Nightlife, to poop in a toilet — and he decided he’d share his method with the world.

“The Charles Mingus CAT-alog for Toilet Training Your Cat was a step-by-step guide available for purchase by mail. It’s full of charming advice and meticulous pedagogical detail:

“Here’s an excerpt from Step 1:

Once your cat is trained to use a cardboard box, start moving the box around the room, towards the bathroom. If the box is in a corner, move it a few feet from the corner, but not very noticeably. If you move it too far, he may go to the bathroom in the original corner. Do it gradually. You’ve got to get him thinking. Then he will gradually follow the box as you move it to the bathroom. (Important: if you already have it there, move it out of the bathroom, around, and then back. He has to learn to follow it. If it is too close to the toilet, to begin with, he will not follow it up onto the toilet seat when you move it there.) A cat will look for his box. …

“Reporter Jody Avirgan put the method to the test on four-month-old kitten Dizzy. His owners, Kevin and Nicole, even played Mingus throughout the process.”

More at Studio 360, here, including a recording of the show.

Photo: Jody Avirgan
Dizzy the cat is interviewed for Studio 360.

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An RI Incubator for Food Businesses

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

What a good idea for economic development in Rhode Island! Rhode Island is where Johnson & Wales has been building a strong gastronomic culture for decades. And the school is not alone. You have your oysters and your Point Judith fishing industry, of course — and I’m leaving out nearly everyone.

Yesterday, my husband and I checked out the state’s first food-business incubator, Hope & Main, at a festive event in the nonprofit’s new, permanent location. The story was posted in October on their website.

“Hope & Main today celebrated the opening of its 17,500-square-foot culinary business incubator facility in Warren, Rhode Island. U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as other honored guests including USDA Director of Community Programs Daniel R. Beaudette, Warren Town Council President Christopher W. Stanley, and Founder and President of Hope & Main, Lisa J. Raiola, MPH.

“ ‘Hope & Main is about helping food entrepreneurs get started in a licensed kitchen. …  It’s also a place where people can congregate and collaborate, take a class or develop and test new recipes. I am proud to be part of this effort to support start-up food entrepreneurs and help them launch their own food businesses,’ said Senator Reed. ‘This is a great example of what’s possible when federal, state, and local officials collaborate with the private sector to support innovation. …’

“Housed in the historic Main Street School building, located at 691 Main Street in Warren, the renovation project transformed the 100-year-old structure into a state-of-the-art workspace for the region’s food entrepreneurs. [The] building’s highlights include three code-compliant, shared-use commercial kitchens, including a gluten-free kitchen and artisanal bakery, over 6,000-square-feet of production space, cold and dry storage, and a range of commercial equipment to support small-scale operations for baking, food processing and catering. Designed to facilitate collaboration and community involvement in the local food economy, the rehab also features a demonstration kitchen, co-working and meeting spaces, and a 2,000-square-foot community event space. A weekly market will be located on the grounds to give Hope & Main member companies and other local producers direct access to local consumers. …

“The Hope & Main project is funded in large part by a $2.9 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Community Facilities Loan.” More at MakeFoodYourBusiness.org, here.

My husband and I left with several business cards and goodies, including a a tomato jam with a great slogan: “To boldly go where no tomato has gone before.” I had a big smile on my face.

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Wisconsin Tiny House Village

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 23, 2014| 2 Comments »

Suzanne’s Mom’s Blog has featured a number of stories about both homelessness and tiny houses, so I was intrigued when a high school friend linked to this story on Facebook. It’s about helping homeless people build their own tiny houses.

Jen Hayden wrote at Daily Kos, “Out of the Occupy Madison protests a cool idea was hatched: Building 98-square-foot homes for those without. The homes have a bed, kitchen, bathroom, storage and propane heat. Future residents take part in building the homes. [According to WMTV,]

The homes cost just $3,000 to construct, most of it funded by community donations. A revolving crew of volunteers provided the labor, including Betty Ybarra. Previously homeless, she now resides in the home she helped construct. “It’s exciting. I’ve never even owned my own house,” Ybarra told WMTV

“After getting shuffled around the city while they figured out the best place to build the village, they finally settled on a location and it officially opened this week. [Reports Jennifer Kliese at WKOW,]

‘Rather than taking people from the streets and putting them in a building, we thought we could work together to create our own structures,’ says Luca Clemente, with Occupy. ‘We don’t give houses to homeless people, we enable people to build their own houses to create their own futures.’When complete, there will be nine homes in the village made from reclaimed and recycled materials. Organizers hope to add a garden, tree orchard and chickens.”

More here.

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Tallest Street Artwork

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Time for a new post on street art. Have you been following the Banksy-in-New-York saga? He was living in the city for a while last year, creating a new piece of street art every day. People ran around to find it, some New Yorkers even trying to charge admission. An HBO movie was made about it.

Banksy is always interesting, but today I want to tell you what street artist Stik has been up to.

The Londonist website says, “Street artist Stik has just finished creating the tallest piece of street art in the world — a 38.2 metre high mural on a condemned council tower block in Acton [a district in the west of London].

” ‘Big Mother’ depicts a mother and child looking forlornly from their council block at the luxury apartment complexes being built around them. The mural is visible from not only the Piccadilly Line, but also on some London flight paths.

“Stik, who was once homeless, said: ‘Affordable housing in Britain is under threat; this piece is to remind the world that all people need homes.’ ”

And I guess in this season a homeless mother and child is especially resonant.

Thank you to @ecpulford for retweeting the story from Bernadetta Keefe (@nxtstop1).

Stik’s website is here. His minimalist, wistful beings remind me a bit of Finnish artist Tove Jansson’s children’s books about the Moomin family.

First picture below, cover of paperback Finn Family Moomintroll

Second picture: Joyce/Division
The 38.2 metre mural has been painted on a tower block which is due for demolition in 2016. Image © Stik

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Apple Crisp Recipe

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 21, 2014| 2 Comments »

On days when you are thinking a lot about a faraway relative in need of heavy doses of good vibes, it may make sense to do some baking.

Fortunately, I worked at home today, so I was able to spend the time between 5 and 6:15 baking rather than running for trains. The no-peel apple crisp recipe I attempted was one that Lisa posted recently on Facebook. Although it didn’t specify an oven temperature or size of pan, I guessed 350 degrees and 9 x 13, and it came out great. The ingredients include dried apricots, an orange, and walnuts. Oh, boy. Here’s the link.

More constructively, many of us sent loving messages both for the relative and her son in San Francisco, and posted and contributed to a GoFundMe site. I especially liked Suzanne’s recommendation of a visit to Glide Memorial, a comforting San Francisco church she learned about when a former colleague suffered something dark. (I have mentioned the church a few times on the blog.)

What else can you do but let people know you are thinking of them a lot? In spite of everything, I think my relative will be deeply thankful at Thanksgiving for two Good Samaritans who chose not to pass by.

Photo: http://food52.com/blog/11755-no-peel-apple-crisp

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Oxygenating the City

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Back in June, Jane Devlin tweeted a link to a story on a curious “urban algae canopy” designed for EXPO 2015 in Milan.

Ross Brooks wrote at Inhabitat, “The Urban Algae Canopy by ecoLogic Studio is a piece of bio-digital architecture that combines micro-algal cultures and real time digital cultivation protocols. To be displayed at Expo Milano 2015, the structure is able to control the flow of energy, water and carbon dioxide based on weather patterns, visitors’ movements, and other environmental variables. It’s the first of its kind in the world, and … will be able to produce the oxygen equivalent of four hectares of woodland, along with nearly 330 pounds of biomass per day.” More at Inhabitat.

DOMUSweb adds that Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto of ecoLogicStudio “proposed a new vision of future bio-digital architecture powered by microalgae organisms as part of the Future Food District project, curated by Carlo Ratti Associati at the central crossroads of the EXPO site. …

“The flows of energy, water and CO2 are … regulated to respond and adjust  to weather patterns and visitors’ movements.  As the sun shines more intensively, algae would photosynthesise and grow, thus reducing the transparency of the canopy and increasing its shading potential.” More from DOMUS.

Photo: ecoLogicStudio
Urban Algae Canopy

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A Few 100-Year-Olds

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 19, 2014| 2 Comments »

Erik, this one’s for you. I saw a book on 100-year-olds in your kitchen, and I know you and your company aim to enable us all to be centenarians.

Sally Williams writes in the Guardian, “Three score and 10 may be the span of a man, but no one has broken the news to David Bailey who, at 76, still behaves like someone turning one score and eight.

“Last month he walked into a studio in London (not his: too many stairs) to photograph some of Britain’s oldest people. The youngest was just 100; the oldest 107. Dressed in a baggy polo shirt and a pair of old combat trousers, small but physically imposing, Bailey flirted, flattered, insulted his subjects in order to get the picture he wanted.

“ ‘We’ve been married for 62 years,’ Shirley Arkush told Bailey of her husband David, one of the centenarians waiting to be photographed. ‘Same as me,’ he replied, ‘but not to the same wife.’ And he gave a combative, high-pitched laugh. (Bailey’s marriage to his first wife, Rosemary Bramble, lasted three years, and his second, to Catherine Deneuve, two; he was married to Marie Helvin for 10 years, before marrying Catherine Dyer in 1986.) …

“He worked at an incredible pace – nine portraits in four hours, and on subjects with a collective age of 917 years. ‘I’ve always wanted to photograph old people,’ he said at one point, after pinning one centenarian in forensic close-up (he had requested no makeup, only ‘a tidy-up’ for the women).

“Not everyone was happy. Joe Britton, 103, Chelsea Pensioner and horseracing enthusiast, said he knew Bailey and had been looking forward to seeing him again. But, ‘That’s not David Bailey,’ he said with disappointment after the shoot – his David Bailey is the horse trainer.” More pictures, more story here.

Photograph: David Bailey/Guardian
Violet Butler: ‘I’m no paragon. I used to smoke and drink, but not to excess.’

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Long-Lost John Cleese Comedy Video

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on November 18, 2014| 2 Comments »

Did I ever mention that John Cleese (“Monty Python,” “Fawlty Towers”) was the speaker at Suzanne’s college graduation? A very good choice if you like a bit of laughter with your deep thoughts.

Now an old video of the early Cleese has been unearthed.

The BBC has the story: “Two episodes of 1960s TV comedy ‘At Last The 1948 Show,’ which starred pre-Monty Python John Cleese and Graham Chapman, have been found after almost 50 years. The ITV programme, which was first screened in 1967, also featured Tim Brooke-Taylor, Marty Feldman and Aimi Macdonald. …

” ‘It represents a key moment in the history of British television comedy featuring the combined talents of some of its greatest exponents,’ BFI television consultant Dick Fiddy said. …

“The two episodes were found when Mr Fiddy was invited to explore the collection of Sir David Frost, who died last August, and who was executive producer on the show.

“They were contained on two reels of 16mm film and had been filmed directly from a television screen. …

“Cleese will present the two episodes, on loan from the Frost family, as part of ‘Missing Believed Wiped’ – the BFI’s annual celebration of recovered TV programmes — on 7 December in London.” More here.

Recently rediscovered in the effects of the late David Frost, a comedy featuring a young John Cleese. 

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Offering a Wall for Graffiti

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Here’s a story about how a city counterintuitively addressed its graffiti problem by offering a place to do graffiti.

Jeremy Fox writes at the Boston Globe that the graffiti mural began as a response to the growing problem of offensive messages sprayed on a wall facing the train track. That wall, he reports, “has become a local institution with a national and even international following.

“In the process, this wall at the Clemenzi Industrial Park has also become one of just a few spaces in the region where graffiti is officially sanctioned, which may help protect nearby walls from unwanted images and messages.”

(Don’t you love words like “sanctioned,” which means one thing and also its opposite?)

“John Clemenzi, who manages the property that his family has owned for four decades, said that when he began allowing artists to paint on the building’s rear wall, Beverly was in the midst of ‘a horrible graffiti problem.’ But in recent years, he said, ‘I rarely if at all see any graffiti elsewhere in the city.’ …

“The change began about a dozen years ago, when two Montserrat College of Art students approached Clemenzi with a proposal to decorate the wall, which faces the tracks for the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line. …

“He agreed to let the young artists decorate a small section, 40 feet of what he estimates is a total length of about 800 feet.

“He set three ground rules: Clean up after yourselves, no offensive messages, and don’t paint on the building’s brick faces. The students agreed to follow those rules and to help police the area, and over time, the sanctioned graffiti grew to cover the wall.” Read the rest of the story here.

Photo: John Blanding/Globe Staff
Artists worked at the Clemenzi Industrial Park in Beverly. Since people began spraypainting the wall a decade ago, the drawing of graffiti has fallen elsewhere in the city.

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Happy Walkin’, Happy Walk

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on November 16, 2014| 6 Comments »

Melissa Dahl writes in NY Magazine‘s Science of Us section that thinking of happy images can put a spring in your step and that in turn can make you feel better.

Dahl references new research on the topic. “Walk like a happy person and you’ll actually feel happier, says a study published online in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 

“In the study, people walked on a treadmill for 15 minutes. Around them were cameras with sensors that picked up their movements, and in front of them was a screen displaying a gauge that moved to the left if they walked like they were depressed, and to the right if they walked like they were happy. … But, because researchers are sneaky, the people in the study didn’t know what the gauge was measuring. They were simply told to try to get the needle to move to the left, or to the right.

“Before the treadmill task, they were shown a list of words, some positive (pretty) and some negative (afraid, anxious). After they hopped off the treadmill, they were asked to write down as many of those words as they could remember. The people who’d been prompted to walk like a depressed person ended up recalling more negative words and (slightly) fewer positive words than the people who’d merrily bounced along on their treadmills. This, the authors conclude, means that the people who’d walked as if they were sad did, in fact, end up feeling sadder.” Read more here.

Skeptical as I am about psychological studies that base their insights on showing people a list of words, I think it’s definitely worth a try to walk like you’re happy.

I once read in a mystery that is very hard for a suspect to disguise his walk. One perp put a pebble in his shoe to throw off the detective.

And one year I watched how young women walked and tried to imitate the bounce, but it was way too much work. Might as well try to change your handwriting. Or your unique way of washing dishes.

Photo: Getty Images

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Cardamom Buns

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 14, 2014| 4 Comments »

In the last year or so, the Boston Globe has been featuring occasional reviews of restaurants in other countries. Knowing I have a few readers in Sweden, I thought I would mention this week’s review, about a restaurant in Stockholm. (If you go, let me know how you like it.)

Luke Pyenson writes, “Occasionally you see a plate of food so beautiful, it’s almost difficult to take the first bite. Imagine 20 such plates on the same table. This is what you’re up against at Rosendals Tradgard, an expansive and unique bakery-cafe-and-garden here. As you approach it, the aromas hit you, then once inside, on an impossibly long table, you see morning buns, pastries, savories, sandwiches, cakes, tarts, and everything in between. As gorgeous as this veritable smorgasbord is, the sheer attractiveness of it all — like Scandinavia itself — is a bit intimidating.

“Located on Djurgarden, one of the 14 islands that make up Sweden’s pristine and enchanting capital city, Rosendals Tradgard is a place with history. First sold to soon-to-be crowned King Karl XIV Johan in 1817, the land around the restaurant was developed by the Swedish Horticultural Society for gardening and horticultural education in the early 1860s. Today, the vast complex comprises sprawling gardens (including a rose garden and apple orchard) where fruits and vegetables are cultivated, plus a cafe, bakery, plant shop, and food shop located in greenhouses. In keeping with the spirit of the Swedish Horticultural Society, there are courses, lectures, and a variety of other cultural activities around biodynamic gardening.” Click for more about the food.

And if you are in the Greater Boston area and hungry for Swedish Cardamom Rolls (kardemummabullar), check out the 43rd annual Scandinavian Fair tomorrow, Saturday, at the Concord-Carlisle Regional High School, 500 Walden St., Concord, MA, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Or you could try a recipe from Epicurious, here. It’s a bit of work. Suzanne once made the rolls for Erik, but not since having a two-year-old who likes to take charge in the kitchen.

Photo: Luke Pyenson for the Boston Globe
A plate of fresh-baked kardemummabullar at Rosendals Tradgard in Stockholm.

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Shining Time Station Conductor

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on November 13, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Photo: pradeepan.com
Train conductor

On the homebound train tonight, Meg an I were discussing a conductor’s stentorian way of announcing the stops. It always gives me a big smile, and I look around to see if anyone else is reacting, but — well, you know commuters.

Meg said the guy reminded her of the conductor in an old TV show for kids called Shining Time Station. He was played by the comedian George Carlin. Do you know the show? Meg’s kids are younger than Suzanne and John. I think our family missed it completely.

The conductor on our commuter train is younger than Carlin looks here. And he sounds like he’s auditioning for a major-market radio show back when you needed a “big voice” to get an on-air job. I always wonder if he is kidding around when he orates like that or serious. It probably helps to lift the tedium of going back and forth, back and forth all day long on the Fitchburg line.

Read about Shining Time Station on wikipedia, here. You can search on YouTube for episodes.

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