Kennedy got her braces off Friday. Just in time for Halloween treats!
Archive for October, 2008
Orthodontia: Expensive, But Worth It
October 27, 2008How to Sleep Alone in a King-Size Bed
October 22, 2008
The last good book I read was Theo Nestor’s divorce memoir, How to Sleep Alone in a King-Size Bed.
I can’t remember ever reading another memoir about divorce, but I enjoyed this one. The first chapter is essentially the Modern Love essay Theo wrote for the New York Times. The feedback she got from publishing her essay actually plays a small role in her transition from married to single mother. I wish the first chapter to my memoir would present itself to me in similar fashion, but no such luck.
Theo mentions that thing Dad would occasionally do when he and Mom were arguing. Dad would say, “If this were the Old Country, I could clap my hands three times and you would be divorced.” Sometimes Dad would even clap his hands once for effect. Theo says that’s a Sunni tradition, but I wonder if it isn’t pan-Arab. Dad was Catholic and he seemed pretty familiar with it.
Of course, Mom didn’t care about any clapping hands nonsense. She would just shrug her shoulders and say, “This ain’t the Old Country.”
Shalom Auslander at Elliott Bay Books
October 17, 2008
Shalom Auslander appeared at Elliott Bay last night to promote the paperback edition of his memoir, Foreskin’s Lament.
What struck me most is how serious and intense he is. I guess I should have realized this about him from his promotional photo, which simply screams I am a serious and intense author. But his work, which I love, just seems much too funny to come from anyone so grave.
Except for a single man who laughed loudly in all the right places, the reading felt a little like a wake. Despite this, I enjoyed myself. I got a chance to hang out with Matt Briggs and talk shop. And it’s always good to get into Seattle for a night.
Auslander said he considers memoir to be the literary equivalent of pornography. I’m pretty sure he was serious. I guess he only wants to write fiction, but his memoir is really good.
Your Ex Wants You Back
October 10, 2008It’s true White as Milk, I’ve been around.
I got tired of your fonts and your narrow view of my posts. Your white background bored me. I wanted something different. There was short dalliance with The Journalist v1.9. I hate to admit it, but I even spent a night with DePo Masthead and Black-LetterHead (not at the same time, mind you).
What was I thinking?
Last night I came to my senses, White as Milk. I love how your posts are left justified, while your menu leans to the right. I realize now how much I long for the cute way you stack my tags. The way you squeeze each and every one of my uploads between impossibly thin margins.
O, I’ve been a fool, White as Milk!
Please, forgive me. I swear I’ll never leave you again.
Brevity, Briefly
October 9, 2008
The Brevity blog is now using the Journalist theme, which includes a little word balloon for the tag line. I love how it makes the old dude in the Brevity icon look like he is offering concise writing advice.
I have a piece forthcoming at Brevity, the magazine. It’s an essay called Jimi Don’t Play Here No More. Most of the authors who published stories in the recent issue of Brevity have also written blog posts on the Brevity blog. These posts offer the writer’s opinion on their piece or some insight into how it was written. Even though I hadn’t been asked, I already wrote a blog post about my story, Jimi Don’t Player Here No More. Can you tell I’m excited?
This is my first published story about using dope or my ordeal in New York City.
Gary Presley, Author of 7 Wheelchairs, a Life Beyond Polio, Interviewed on Iowa Public Radio
October 7, 2008
My friend Gary Presley’s interview on Iowa Public Radio is live. Gary wrote, 7 Wheelchairs, a Life Beyond Polio, which just recently came to press, so now he is doing the marketing thing. I am reading my copy of his book right now.
I also recently got a phone call from Elliott Bay Book Company here in Seattle to say that they just got the book in. I was downtown last week and noticed they didn’t have it, so I asked them to order me a copy, even though I already had mine from Amazon. I’ll sleep easier knowing that a qaulity book store like Elliott Bay has Gary’s book on its shelves.
You can check out the streaming version of the interview or download the podcast.
Greek Shrimp Scampi
October 6, 2008I love shrimp dishes. But unless you make it yourself, these dishes never come with enough shrimp in them to achieve satiety. When I heat this up in the lunch room, all my colleages suddenly look like they’re going to drop over to my office for a little lunch time meeting.
I like this over brown rice. The rice isn’t included in the calorie count below. I typically use two bags of frozen shrimp, and let it thaw in the fridge before I make it. The hardest part is chopping up the tomatoes, but it’s worth it.
Ingredients:
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 large cloves garlic, minced
- 30-40 jumbo or tiger shrimp, peeled and rinsed
- 10 small fresh tomatoes, diced (~4 Cups)
- 12 ounces low fat or non fat crumbled feta cheese (~2 Cups)
- 1 to 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (to taste)
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Steps:
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in skillet; add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add shrimp and saute on each side for 1 minute or until they are pink on the surface.
- Add the tomatoes and feta to the pan and stir until sauce begins to form, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice, dill, and salt; cover and simmer for 4 minutes or until sauce thickens. Yield: 8 servings (serving size ~1 1/2 Cups)
Calories 246; fat 12 grams; protien 31 grams; carbs 7 grams. Adapted from a recipe by Karina Tanguay.
