Japanese Simplicity

Early on in feathering the home nest, I often used the term 'Japanese Simplicity'.
My aesthetic vision was to someday live in a place that was deliberately styled and furnished minimally with just the essentials: with the right balance of texture, line and positive to negative shapes. Simple furnishings, all in lovely solid colors accented by a few yummy arty printed textiles and one or two pieces of artwork in a room.

Clean lines. No clutter.

Nice vision, eh?
Well - life got complicated.
Hand-me-down furniture and makeshift became the decorating mode. There wasn't much money to live on (is there ever?), and what little HD and I had was squandered on tasty foodstuffs (nevah evah skimp on food!) and Cost Plus chotkes.
For the longest time, I could not stop buying dishes. And chairs.
(We never really had a lot of matching dishes or chairs/sofas when I was growing up in Chinatown).

There was no escaping the 'house plant craze phase' back in the 70's.
It seemed like everyone, particularly urban apartment dwellers like myself - embarked on weekly hunts for cool houseplants. It was essential to add a bit of nature's greenery to the sterile stark interiors of our citified lifestyles, one little potted plant at a time.

Overnight, a generation of young adults learned the names as well as the light and water needs of dozens of houseplants. Armed with that knowledge as well as mist bottles, plant food, grow lights and macramé plant hangers (!), the collective lot of us turned humble abodes into virtual jungles (and ruined a few hardwood floors with water that runneth over from watering those plants).

Babies entered our lives, and with them - baby paraphernalia.
Soon after, we began to collect and compile years and years of kid's toys.
You can't get too minimalist with kid's toys. Hot pink Barbie furniture and a plethora of My Little Ponies and Star Wars action figures do not blend well with the idea of Japanese Simplicity.

Displaying countless bits and pieces of memorabilia from family/friends also factored heavily into the design mix. Souvenirs from a friend's European backpacking trip set on the mantle alongside old family photos and a Sesame Street toy and mini art trophy I received at high school graduation. Let's not forget about the various candles + votives. Why everything had to be out at the same time was probably due to having No Storage Space. In and of themselves, knickknacks can be so overwhelming.

Throughout the 70's and 80's, I became influenced by patchwork quilts, lace doilies, ruffle-edged pillowcases and curtains, rough-hewn as well as hand-carved golden oak wood, dainty teacups and saucers, pretty prints of chintz and soft textures like velvet, rough surfaces like Navajo rugs.
I've decorated with folk toys, English and Asian teapots, Japanese print fabrics, reproduction wood-cut prints, a cookie jar in the shape of a fanciful rhinoceros.

Well.
You get the picture.
My home decor = modgepodge.

Japanese Simplicity?
It never did happen for me in the 70's, 80's and 90's. The new millenium has brought little change. It looks to continue to be a pretty mixed bag around here, in spite of my occasional decorating purges.
I still appreciate clean lines, but also love homey cottage things and a touch of moderne as well.

Eclectic seems here to stay.

Even so, this week I'm entertaining a great fantasy.
It involves tossing (almost) all the old stuff out and starting anew.
A clean sweep.

HaHa.
Delusion reigns.

W.W.K.I.P.

World Wide Knit In Public (Day).

If you're not able to get to a public forum - go out and knit at a café or in the park with a friend; or do a bit of knitting by your lonesome in the privacy of home.

Knitting is gooooooooood for the soul.

Pipe Dreams

Bag pipes, that is.

Last week I learned the difference between Scottish bagpipes and Irish (Uillean) bagpipes.
The diff was described to me by a woman whose grandson quit his day job in social work to persue his love of playing bagpipes full-time. He hopes to become a professional musician.

Here's an example of how the two bagpipes sound:
Scottish.
Irish.

And here I thought a bagpipe was a bagpipe.
It (almost) goes without saying that everything (everyone, for that matter) deserves a closer look...

b.y.o.b.

Bring your own bags.
It's a good thing.

This went into effect on March 15th.
Just goes to show how infrequently I shop Ikea. Learned about the new bag policy at checkout yesterday (there's also self-checkout now - good if the scanners aren't malfunctioning).

So - I'm one of the last to know, but still appreciative of the statement that BYOB (or buy a reusable blue bag for 59 cents) makes.

Ikea.
A nice place to shop.
A nice place to work?

Texas Blues and Texas BBQ

Blues @ Antone's.
Mmmmmmmmm Mmmmmmmm nice.

and

BBQ @ The Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas.
Mmmmmmmm Mmmmmmm good.

Tonight, my soul is hankering for some dizzying soulful bluez and my mouth is watering for some tender tasty ribs...

bury my heart - revisited

Did not mean to mislead.
Mea maxima culpa.

The HBO show 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee' is not a miniseries, as I had originally thought.

It's a 2-hour film.

Long awaited and well received.

I thought it quite good.
Still wish for a miniseries, though. There are many more chapters from the book that need to be told.


I confess to being somewhat insatiable on the topic of 'Natives' and the true accounts of their part in the settling (resettling?) of this country.

The good.
The bad.
The very ugly: shameful realities.

America, a prideful country. Be not too proud.
Repercussions of earlier acts upon their peoples continue to reverberate within The Nations.

Much to learn.
Field trip, anyone?

Pictured: Chief Sitting Bull ~ photographed in 1885 by D.F. Barry

Da Bluez

Getting ready to go for some Texas Blues...
... with Chicago on my mind...

A song of protest ...

... both gentle and powerful.

Social ineptitude

Warning warning Will Robinson: This here is a mini bitchfest.

Exactly when did good manners go out of style?

More and more I see (in casual social interaction) less and less* in the way of...

• Enthusiastic/ sincere greetings and salutations.
• Expressions of please and thank you.
• Participating in conversation, as opposed to one-sided know-it-all monologues.
• The practice of attentive listening.
  
• Proper etiquette at the dining table.
• Exercising hospitality as a host; as well as knowing that the main responsibility of being a 'good guest' is to be appreciative (as in Do Unto Others...).
  
• Extending a kind word when'ere possible and lending a helping hand.
• Consideration of the elderly and for the infirm.
  
• Understanding that listening to a braggart is boring boring boring (to tears, if not to run screaming).
  

For me, there's nothing worse than having to listen to a braggart: someone who goes on and on about how much money he has/she has/they have/can earn-inherit-beg-borrow-steal; how big a house they or someone they know can afford; how fancy a car or other prized possessions he/she/they own or is capable of buying; how highly educated, privileged, prestigious a job/station-in-life, et cetera.

Gag me with a spoon!

Kindly - subject me not to a recitation of someone else's resumé/ accomplishments as if they were your own. Actually, spare me your own unless you think it might actually be of some interest. Or unless I ask you - not during your monologue, but as we are conversing.

Understand that there is a decidedly thin line between sharing a personal accomplishment / touting a relative-friend's achievement AND being a braggart. Is talking about it an invitation to further conversation, to inspire, to encourage - or are you just showing off? Worse still - might you be living vicariously through another's (real or perceived) accomplishments?

Bite me!

Moi? Never entirely guiltless, of course.
In social situations, I can also be fairly inept.
Case in point: I'm guilty of swearing like a sailor when I'm not doing my damndest to practice those aforementioned good manners. Geez Louise, sometimes cussing is necessary! Not to mention FUN.

Matter of fact, because of my issue (folks, is it just me?) with braggarts, I may soon be sporting a badge or tee shirt imprinted with the statement: 'Ask me if I give a *hit'.
Besides alienating all decent folk in my midst, wearing such a remark might just serve as a hint to the next person who considers subjecting me to another lengthy braggadocio session ...
Then again, maybe not ... since those who self-indulge typically don't see beyond themselves and their egos: real, borrowed or imagined.

My bad! (apologies - this catchy phrase is ill-used at best by most people. That's why I chose to use it here...)

Can you imagine how social interaction might improve if everyone were to practice even a wee bit of the writings of Emily Post, Miss Manners, Amy Vanderbilt and/or even Dale Carnegie?

Ok - I have vented. Time to crawl back unda da rock...

* You better believe how appreciative I am when I do witness these points observed!

multitasking for balance

Whilst 'at the computer' this morn, I ...

1. ate breakfast
   
2. listened to several podcasts
   
3. bought a new music CD
4. knitted on my second Moebius scarf (which I'm turning into a shawl-shrug thingy)
   
5. planned ahead to create my ATCs this afternoon - and mail them out by the end of the weekend (promise!)
6. thought about the book I'll be reading for next month's book club theme: Heritage
7. composed and sent out a few friendly e-mails
8. did some blogging!
   

I'm online for a fair amount of time each day. A bit in the morn, then once again in the late eve.
Mostly I'm planning, reorganizing, summarizing.
Few, if any - of the minutes/ hours is wasted time (even these links aren't complete time-wasters, cuz they're fun).

I spend most days ...
... relishing the sameness of routine.
... making plans to vary and break out of routine.
... reflecting on actions-past and looking towards actions-future.

The computer is a tool that helps me put these elements in order. From here I can get into the groove of some dynamic living.

Today finds me at relative leisure - with many hours to devote to art, craft, music, shopping, thinking, catching up on correspondence, reading and learning. It suits me to jump start my days with sitting at the computer - multitasking until it's time to get out of the chair, up and at 'em.
N-I-C-E

Tomorrow I'll be out and about again.
Exposed to, and coping with - the elements.

Just trying to keep life in balance.

Pumpkins in the springtime

Once upon a time, it was de rigeur for a family to store part of the fall veggie/fruit harvest. With the arrival of winter, most gardens ceased to yield, so saving some of the bounty from summer-fall made good sense for winter eats.

Food that wasn't salted, canned or dried was put into natural cold storage. Root cellars and the like. Some of it spoiled, of course. Even now, some of us are hard-pressed to keep food from spoiling in our own larders. Even with refrigeration. I don't have a subzero, but I imagine food in even the coldest of cold does not escape some sort of deterioration (?).

At this writing, I don't doubt that there's meat with freezer burn in my freezer. In the vegetable crisper, we might discover a produce bag of limp green onions, some spent celery and long forgotten zucchini that's turned slimy ...

So much for the adage 'waste not want not'.
I/we should resolve only to buy food that gets eaten up before it rots and needs to be tossed.

Case in point:
Every year for the past thirty or so, I inadvertently /unintentionally put a pumpkin or two into natural cold storage.
There always seems to be a couple of leftover winter squashes from October that don't get carved into Jack O' Lanterns or made into pumpkin pies.

Choosing the thick-walled deep ridged orange-y-est pumpkins for both carving and cooking, my intention has always been to cook any remaining squashes into rich yummy puree. The puree would be processed and plopped into the freezer for future pumpkin-based eats.
Pumpkin breads and cinnamon-nutmeg spiced pies in March.
Yum.

True confession: I never get round to the task. The pumpkins are left around the house as 'decor' for months afterwards. Many months.
I look at them in passing and think to myself: 'Today I will bake and mash and freeze the bounty'.
Nevah hoppen.
Round about May, June or July - the pumpkins finally begin to show signs of rotting.
Funny how they do that.

Last winter was a shortish one.
Spring sprung early, punctuated by a string of warm summer-like days.
The three pumpkins I've had in our climate-controlled house were moved out to the garage a couple months ago. There they've had to withstand greater temperature extremes of hot and cold.

It didn't take long for two to soften and sag into semi-soggy masses right there on the back steps leading down to the garage. It saddened me to bag and dispose of them.

Pictured here is the last of the three.
It too has a telltale fuzzy spot of mold.

Guess I won't be cooking any fresh pumpkin pie puree this year either.
I would'a I should'a I could'a.

Point N' Shoot

Another view of Monument Valley ...
... this one captured with my 'old' 2.1 megapixel Canon PowerShot S100 'point n' shoot'. I now carry it in my camera bag right alongside the brand spankin' new digitalSLR Canon Rebel XTi.

Having both cameras on hand keeps me mindful that the main purpose for getting a new camera is not so I can use it merely as a fancier point n' shoot.
I already have a cute little simple-to-use p&s, and it works perfectly fine for those quick shots.

These last decades, if I've been spending any energy at all on photography, it's been to grab those snapshots on vacation or at parties (with dreaded automatic flash, which washes out nice shadows). I've been sloppy and guilty of: poor composition and bad lighting, distracting backgrounds, etc.

My goal is to get into more creative photographic effects of people, places and things. Move myself back into manual mode - like I was once almost able to do - and feel good about it.

For many years, I carted my 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic* everywhere.
All my photos were manually focused/lit. Always impatient with understanding camera settings (Arrrrrrgh - it rather hints of MATH), I stumbled through (b's modus operandi?) and the results were that a fair portion of my pictures weren't satisfactory (out of focus, too dark, too light), but many others turned out looking rather - nice.
Very nice indeed.

For old time sake, the Pentax stays.
However, it is too darned heavy to schlep along with the two Canons, so I'll keep it at home. Perhaps take it out for a spin 'round the block now and then to keep its inner workings working.

Time to take stock of camera inventory.
OK OK - I confess that it is hard for me to move the older cameras along, but it is happening as we speak (no storage space, and the urge to purge). Several old film cameras are finally in the Goodwill box. Said box will be taken to the donation center...bye bye.

So - it's down to the old Pentax, one in-betweeny point and shoot (I'm hanging on to the Nikon AF ActionTouch I used in the 90's), a small p&s digital and the newest acquisition: the digital SLR (which is so new, it still scares me).

Hey - not bad.
Only FOUR cameras in possession of this very-much-an-amateur weekend photographer.
(I sense some photo sessions/outings in the near future).
(I'd better buy a couple rolls of film).

Huzzah! for the old stand-bys.
Huzzah! for point n' shoot cameras.
Huzzah! Huzzah! for the new technology.

* A camera I still love and am loathe to retire forever - though the cost of buying/processing roll after roll of print film does gets prohibitive. Not to forget to mention ye olde mercury battery, which I understand continues to drain of energy in the camera, even w/o use, and needs to be replaced frequently.

Craving....

Shanghai dumplings.
Take a bite and then get a burst of soup?
Inside out wontons?
No, not really.

But I want some.
Now.
OK then - next week.
Well, sometime this month anyways.

Let's go get some.

Half the month of May...

gone ... and I've just realized it's ...
Asian/ Pacific American Heritage Month.
Whilst Googling a related topic, I discovered that the annual designation of A/P AHM is here - today - now.
(In 1992, GW's dad did something right when he signed to expand Asian Pacific Heritage Week to a month long observation.)

For me, the month of May goes by with the usual nod to Mother's Day and several family birthdays, and I tend to miss Asian Pacific Month.

Just how do I manage to overlook all the hype: on tv, radio and press?!?
Perhaps because there's not no (that is to say - ain't) media build up to take note of.
Though awareness of APAHM might be more evident in major cities like San Fran, L.A., Seattle, Honolulu and NYC, there's nary a whisper or mention of it here in little ol' Placer County.

Asians have played a significant role in the settling of this area.
My own great great granddad traveled here from China in 1849 and headed straight for the gold fields. Like most Chinese who came to 'Gum Sahn', he intended to strike it rich, then go home. Reality check: it came to be that Chinese miners were only allowed to pick over spent claims abandoned by whites, so did my ancestor make a fortune of any size in the placer fields? Family stories have always been sketchy at best, so we may never know. It is indeed unfortunate that such an important part of my family's history may be completely lost with the passing of time and generations.

I do know, though - that the man was here.
The sojourner stayed awhile beyond the gold venture. Somehow, against all odds, he managed to raise a family (born in the U.S.A.!) before finally returning to China to live out his days...

It doesn't appear that Asian/Pacific Heritage Month is cause for celebration round these parts. No special programs for the community, no book signings, no presentations by school kids. No Hallmark cards.
Go figure.

Thankfully, two weeks remain to focus on the Asian/Pacific awareness factor; time enough for me to pay homage to the contributions made by my people to this country. After all, this is an official, government-endorsed period for recognition of Asian-ness, so I'd best acknowledge. What kind of full blooded flag waving All-American would I be otherwise?

Yellow Power (and Peril) aside, this gal will honor her heritage. Even more than she already does, if that is possible.

Navajo rugs on the hoof

You've all heard of hamburger-on-the-hoof *.
Well - here's a pic of some Navajo-rugs-on-the-hoof.
Them there's Churro sheep.

Do sheep baa or bleat or eh?

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park **.

*
There's something kinda creepy about this video.
Is it the music?
The romantic overtones of those waxing poetic about the beef cattle biz?
All that red meat lined up in the walk-in?
The sharp knives?
What creeped me out the most were those ever-so-appreciative BIG beef cattle ranchers. Talk about hefty heifers!
I sure wouldn't want to meet up with the lot of them in a dark alley...
or barn...

**
Not a Federal or State Park, but a Tribal Park.
Just one of the many things I learned last week on the SW road trip.

Red Rocks Rock

Monument Valley in the Navajo Nation.
A pictorial metaphor of the Diné.
The awe-inspiring magnificence of this place bespeaks the history of a People.

Listen closely and you can hear resounding throughout the expanse of space - haunting echoes of Manifest Destiny *.
A rally for westward expansion that fast became a war cry which ultimately silenced thousands:
Duplicity.
Confusion.
Suffering.
Pain.
Loss.

Dotted across the vast landscape are stately red rock formations that stand as quiet, enduring sentinels to:
Strength.
Pride.
Spirituality.
Serenity.
Peace.

In spite of, perhaps because of, their beauty ...
these monuments serve as a bittersweet reminder.

I'm overwhelmed by how much this region offers for a deeper understanding of the whowhatwhenwherewhy - not only of the settling of the West, but of the overall history/philosophy of this country.

A wealth of information indeed.
I shall return here for more.

Do future generations really have any chance to be taught (and come to accept) a more accurate history of America?
Or will they continue to be brainwashed into the same belief system :
- that has justified the subjugation of and/or atrocious actions towards existing cultures lifestyles and peoples.
- that has been used for exploitation of and profiting from same.
- that is still cited as the basic premise for a 'holier than thou' rationale.

The very same message some believe has positioned this country globally?

* OMG - John L. O' Sullivan: King of Rhetoric?!?!? Totally Clueless?!?!? Wearer of the Ultimate Rose-Coloured Spectacles!?!? Unknowing Prophet of How History Repeats Itself?!?!?

The red rocks rock.
They are quiet and observant yet they have much to say.
We have ears for hearing. We are capable of listening.
If one is quiet and attentive - therein lies an opportunity to learn.

Not to worry...

...I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...

That's MISTER Moebius to you, darlin'

Don't let the ants freak you out. They're just goin' round and round up and down on this figure eight graphic to illustrate yet another CRAFT project.

Last night in knitting class, we learned how to cast on in Moebius knitting.
I suppose you could call Moebius the twisted side of needle art.

It's mathematical (aaaaiiiiieeeee!!!!).
It's magical.
It's pretty darn awesome.

It's a tad difficult to wrap your thinking around (pun intended: Moebius is all about appearing wrapped around in continuous loops) when first learning this technique.

This certainly was true in class last night ~
you could almost see the smoke coming off the top of every knitter's head as the brain cells worked overtime whilst attempting the tricky cast-on with big circular needles and yarn.
The cast-on as well as the first row don't look anything like a typical cast-on or knitting stitches.
Whaaaaaaaa?

Someone asked' "Who made up this crazy technique?!?".
The answer to that is "Mobius". (The name gets spelled at least two ways.)
August Ferdinand Mobius ~ mathematician, topologist.
Credit for the design is sometimes also given to Johann Benedict Listing.
As it is in all too many instances where brilliant ideas are conceptualized, credit is not always accurately attributed to the individuals, groups or cultures of origin. Granted, the lines are oftentimes blurred as to who did what and when...

But that's nit-picking with historical content and context, with perhaps a bit of politics tossed into the mix.
We need not go there today for we're talking crafting fun.
Let's just go with the flow. Mister Moebius it is.

To add to the confusion, Moebius projects don't get knitted from the bottom up or the top down. They are knitted from the center out - both sides simultaneously.
Huh?

I'm hard-pressed to learn the new knitting tricks associated with Moebius, I don't get the math and topology hurts my brain, but dagnabbit - I am going to learn how to do this.
In the long run, knitting in this style promises to be a good time ~ y'all know how I love my good times wracked with a fair amount of frustration.

As the beautiful projects emerge from those extra long 47" - 60" circulars (kept coiled round in two parallel lines with only one crossing, like a train switching track!), I feel confident that someday soon, I too will be a yarn magician!!!

In the meantime, all other projects are ON HOLD,
or progressing at snail's pace...




Wish me luck with all of the above.
I'll need it.

Gone - but not forgotten

I'm getting set to head out on a road trip to the Southwest very soon.
Wish I could stop here en route to look at all the coooooool old signs from Las Vegas casinos that are no more.

I've been to Vegas more times than I care to remember.
Most of the trips were for biz, with each visit averaging a week = way too many days for a non-gambler like myself.
I'm definitely not a Vegasophile, and the novelty of the glittering façades, 24 hour gambling and other adult entertainment on The Strip wears off pretty darn quick.

Yet the glitz and glam of Early Vegas actually holds some appeal.
The highlight of a recent trip to VivaLand was seeing the Early Vegas casino signs on Fremont Street. Looking at those dozen or so refurbished signs, even I could wax nostalgic about this town.

Salvaged from gambling establishments that have met the wrecking ball, old casino signs typically end up at the 'sign graveyard' - their ultimate fate yet to be determined.

Once impressive thresholds that served to welcome guests into fancy gambling establishments; the signs now display faded chipped paint and rusted metal, with nearly every lightbulb broken or missing.
The collection is a treasure trove, nonetheless!
Just use a little imagination...

Would love the opportunity to pay my respects before the signs completely disintegrate into the surrounding desert dust. However, the place seems to open only for group* tours by appointment.
*Anyone want to form a group and go (but not for a whole week)?

New Year's Exercise Resolutions at the start of May

Last week I finally quit the exercise program that I've been doing for over 5 years.
Why? I just haven't been getting myself to 'the gym' on a regular basis.

As I've posted before, the workout at 'Curves' has lost its charm for me. Novelty wore off some time ago. It became a boring workout. I could barely tolerate some of the music.
In the last 6-9 months, I've only managed to get to 'Curves' twice a week, sometimes only once, other weeks I skip altogether. The only thing I end up exercising is the automatic checkbook debit of a monthly stipend towards the Gary Heavin (uh) cause (ahem).

So - no more 'Curving' for me.
It was a good run while it lasted.
C'est fini.

Without this program to lean on as a mental crutch and rationale ('It's OK if I eat another couple of helpings, I go to 'Curves' regularly and can work it off')(lies lies) - I confess to being a wee bit panicked now as to what I'll be doing or not doing as far as the 'e' word.
Fitting exercise into my day will be the biggest challenge.

I often resent taking time to exercise when I'd rather be painting
or cooking or chatting with friends.
If only I were better at multi-tasking.

Short of that, here's Plan B:

1. HD is supposedly making a major purchase of a kayak in the not-too-distant, so we'll be sure to get out onto a placid, lovely, calm, uncrowded lake fairly regularly, as we do live in a forested lake, river, hiking, horseback and OHV riding, bicycling recreational area and so we'll be looking ahead to getting some good upper body workouts by paddling.
2. I'm currently building a small library (ooooh, another library!) of about a half dozen exercise DVDs, which I am determined to USE.
   

The exercise library already contains:

• A.M./ P.M. s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g tape
  
• a Buns of Steel tape
• a basic yoga DVD
  
• an abs strengthening DVD
  
• and I've got one of those jump rope stretchy band things with which I can do a modified version of the Curves resistance stretches here at home - to my own tunes!
  

I tried this one last week, and will soon add it to the mix.

Wish me luck and puh-leeese - don't ever drop by when I'm working out. You'd double over with laughter (though a hearty laff is probably very good for your abs).

Anyways.
My plan is to rotate these videos/DVDs for a new exercise regimen (promises promises), alternating with the occasional (better than never) hop on my Nordictrack and/or a 2 mile walk once or twice a week (uh-huh) and skimming the waterways in that aforementioned kayak.

I can already feel the weight coming off, the strength building, the hula hips effortlessly rolling clockwise, counterclockwise....
squeeze....contract....

I sense pulling and pushing against the pressure of lake water against the kayak paddle...

My mind in the yoga zen zone....

The stash of cookies in the kitchen cupboard softly calling out to me...

Bad Boys who cook...

In particular, one who cooks, smokes, swears, sneers, drinks and travels the world in search of good eats...
...and lives to document his perspective of food and life in books, films, blog (as a guest) and interviews.

Anthony Bourdain = Yummy Yum Yum!

Since watching The Galloping Gourmet in the late 60's, I've always had a fave TV chef.
Graham Kerr taught me about rennet in cheesemaking and about clarified butter: ghee.
From Frugal Gourmet Jeff Smith I learned 'Hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick'.
Ah.....cooking mantras to chant and life-altering (?) lessons about the stomach lining of ruminants and the rendering of milk solids from butter...

Knowledge is to gold as exposés are to unrecycled aluminum ??? (sorry, can't seem to find a good analogy) or worse - pond scum.
To my dismay, time has revealed these two guys to be troubled, less-than-upstanding members of society, if not tortured souls:

• alcoholic cook-turned-Christian-reborn-non-alcoholic cook (Kerr)
• ordained Methodist minister-turned-author-TV personality accused of sexual abuse-turned from society and gave up TV show (Smith)
  

Is there a pattern here?

I wasn't surprised to learn about Kerr (he gulped wine on the show and slurred something awful - not criminal by any means, and he did turn his life round...) but was shocked and disappointed when accusations surfaced that Smith had a penchant for seducing young men (against their will).
Good golly, I even met Smith at a Seattle restaurant once and was invited to sit at his table for a 20 minute chat. Geez, he seemed like a perfectly nice guy (just goes to show that you can rarely detect from public persona about an individual's deepest darkest secrets).

When one looks to these chefs as mentors, it ain't just about the cooking, I'll have you know. Not the best judge of character, I must be the all-time suckah for kitchen charisma coupled with the expert wielding of cooking knives.

I subscribe to a lifestyle of eating, cooking and living in (relative) harmony with nature and other beings.
It's fun as well as comforting to look to others to set examples for all of the above.
Wouldn't it be wise, then - and much less of a letdown in the long run - if I could admire characteristics of a foodie personality who already wears the BadBoy label?
And has tattoos?
And is a professed agnostic?

A couple of adjectives to describe Tony Bourdain: sincere and scathing. Or sincerely scathing.
That boy bites! Bad!
Laughing out loud and emulating the snicker and sneer is a good thing.
Definitely worth watching and reading.


Someone please let me know when the whole of 'No Reservations' is available as one big beautiful DVD collection. It'll probably co$t a bundle, but I'm willing to $pring for it.

Until then, I'll just keep renting individual episodes from Netflix and catching snippets on YouTube.

And saving my pennie$.

1970's: bluegrass rules

In the newspaper a few Sundays back, there was an article titled: PLAY: My Favorite Year in Music.
Readers were posed with the question and a significant year from the last four decades to choose from: 1965, 1977, 1984 and 1996.

For me, the no brainer, hands-down answer: 1965.
In '65, I was an impressionable 14 year old and it was a big time Beatle year.

Just as significant as the impact of the 60's to my musical tastes was the decade that followed. Whilst others in the 1970's busied themselves with disco-ing in polyester double knit, I was sequestered into the realms of keeping a home (apartment) and raising a family. I was immersed in a world of endless diaper changes, Happy Baby Food Grinders, Tommy Tippy Cups and Little Golden Books. I kept busy, making sure my child grew up surrounded by gender neutral toys and always mindful that she be engaged in pacific, non-competitive play.

So wrapped up in domestic bliss, I consequently missed most of 1970's and some of early 80's (when another baby comes along to double my parenting pleasure) pop music. Did not have a clue what was going on in the current Top 40.

Never did cultivate an appreciation for Journey (save for 'Lights') who have/had a huge fan base, but the music seemed a bit insipid to my ears, Queen (what's so good about?), Abba (explains why I didn't understand the big todo over Mama Mia!), and almost all that was disco sashayed right past me.

I wasn't completely out-of-touch though -
I had my share of Tight-Pants BeeGees moments.

Instead, I just kept listening to all my collected music from the 60's.
Plus - lots and lots of bluegrass - as it got mixed up with country and crossed over into folk.
I was ALL ABOUT 5 string banjos - particularly John Hartford's ramblin' n' rollin' style of playin' (my young'uns were weaned on both Beatles and Bluegrass), fiddles (Vassar Clement's fiddle sings!), mandolin (frisky pluckin' by Norman Blake), the deliciousness of the dobro and the wonderful whine of steel guitar.

Then there's Emmylouuuuuuuu, who was influential in bridging any gaps t'ween the once-separate genres of bluegrass, country and folk.

Every chance possible - before during and after changing baby diapers, sustaining life by nursing and cleaning spit-ups, I couldn't get enough of this mesmerizing folky country sound.
Bluegrass folky was the theme running throughout that decade for me.... and the next and the next and on and on....

Bluegrass does rule!

Bonus tracks:
Bill Monroe
Emmylou (singing one of my very favorite love songs)
The Dillards
Vassar Clements - I once saw Vassar in a 'solo' performance at The Great American Music Hall. Alone on the stage, he seemed a bit awkward and lost until David Grisman and a few other musicians joined him and Vassar was able to do what he does best - jam with others in joyful musical collaboration.

Last but not least -
The Orange Blossom Special - by the Green Grass Boys (what a terrific rendition of a bluegrass classic!)(and what's not to love about long gray ponytails?!?)

P.S. Thank you thank you YouTube videos!

When you're down and troubled

This always makes me smile.
How many times did you smile whilst watching this?

Another nod to Tennessee

I luv 'The Tennessee Waltz' as I luv 'The Tennessee Stud' (see post: April 15, 2007).

[heart] [heart]

From the library of....

My good friend Dorrie gave me this book in 1972.

At the time, the only kind of knitting I'd done was garter stitch scarves.
Make that singular: scarf.

My pal must have imagined that I would one day (sooner than later) be capable of tackling the most complicated of patterns, for this book contains knitting graphs for the fanciest-looking lace, extremely involved cables and multi-colored knitting.
Who, me?

I shelved the book and eventually forgot about it, but kept on knitting.
In the 1970's and 80's I cranked out a number of sweaters and knitting did become an obsession for me. Still, the most complex stitches I attempted were the simplest cables. They look difficult to do, but are actually easy and fun.

The most challenging project I took on was a 2 - color Scandinavian design pullover, which I fancied knitting for myself.
The sad story of this cute (imagine reindeer, trees and snowflakes) sweater project began when
(1) the pattern got too confusing and
(2) I got distracted with life-beyond-crafts...(read: a new home in a new town, a small child starting grade school, a new baby and HD getting furloughed from his job).

The super demanding (for me) craft project was all but abandoned...tossed into a bag, then into a box and ultimately into the garage....for... over 25 years! I eventually stopped knitting altogether.

Now I'm back - with a vengeance.
These last weeks of knitting class, our focus has been on mosaic knitting.
The guru of this technique is Barbara Walker, who authored a book on the subject. The book is considered something of a bible on mosaic knitting, and is a 'must-have' for those who are fond of this approach to using multiple colored yarns for needlework.

You can imagine my amazement when I discovered Walker's original book was already in my home library (DOH!).
Along with the charted lace, cable and fair isle patterns, this book introduces the mosaic knitting technique that made absolutely no sense to me all those years ago.
Now that I 'get it', the patterns will keep me plenty busy until Barbara Walker's definitive book on mosaic knitting is finally added to the home 'fiber craft library' (hint hint).

Go figure.
After 35 years, I can finally relate.

Psssst!:
Happy Ending - With my renewed passion for knitting and fascination with more involved knitting patterns, it looks like I will finally be finishing this decades old project this year, folks!
The resulting sweater will be too small to fit me now, but DDLLS said if I complete the dang thing, she'd wear it at Christmastime 2007.

Since we're perusing 'bibles' from the home library, here's another:

'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee' was one of The Books of the 1970's.
Native Americans + Settling of the New World = Painful truths and realities = Yes, Gracie, there really was a holocaust in this country.

My weathered copy will be re-read before May 27th, when the HBO miniseries airs.

We can only hope the series will do justice; that all who screen it will benefit from the awareness that an accurate adaptation of a quality book can provide.

Good times rollllllllll:
An offering from the home library that excites the crafty senses!
The satisfaction of finding out a favourite book has been made into a movie!

What good fortune that neither book made it onto any past 'purge lists'.

Home Library/Libraries

As a kid, I owned few books.
Much of my spare time was spent at the local library, where I could happily while away the hours surrounded by endless shelves of books of every kind on any subject.

At age 19, I moved into a tiny (roach-infested) apartment in San Francisco, and one of the first things set up was a little shelf for books. Back then we had no Ikea, so bookshelves for young folks who were just starting out typically took shape from brick n' board...
[Segue: ...or discarded wooden crates from stores. I dragged home a couple of big ones from Chinatown once - what a mistake! After setting up books and records within the large openings, I noted the wood smelled faintly of stale urine....! You better know those stinky crates went bye-bye post haste back into the street].

Return from segue:
My brick n' board shelf was assembled from an eight inch wide, eight foot long piece of wood that was a sign+ four cinder blocks. The sign was a 'found object'. When acquired, it was painted white with the words ROAD CLOSED stenciled in black spray paint. Pretty cool. ROAD CLOSED stood upright as wall art for the longest time before getting sawed in half to become a shelf. I can't even remember where it's from, though I suspect some folks who closed a road back in 1971 found their signage went missing one day...

Anyways.
Aforementioned sign became my first bookshelf.
Easily dismantled, that thing moved from apartment to apartment until it was finally replaced when HD and I finally got into serious real estate (co-op housing). A big new, handmade shelf was constructed for the living room, made of fir, and stained in an 'oak' color. The design was from an old Sunset how-to book (the best!) on building simple bookshelves.

That shelf was meant to last until we could someday afford a fancy, sturdy, wall-to-wall storebought shelving unit.
Thirty years later, and repainted in an off-white color, the Sunset bookshelf is still standing (with a few bowed shelves) and continues to house our official home library.
You can't see from this pic, but there are stacks of paperbacks on some of the lowest shelves.

In addition to ye olde bookshelf, two smaller shelves have been purchased in recent years to hold cookbooks (in the kitchen)
and art books (in the art/craft room)


And the library keeps growing.
New books are continuously welcomed into life/library. Monthly, weekly (OK, sometimes several times a week) acquisitions.
Amazon.com has a record this long of my book purchases over the last years.

Quantity, if not quality, of books does get outta control around here, signaling that a purge is due. Time to move old books on to make room for new ones.
I am usually loathe to perform the task and must steel myself in seeking out the titles that we've either 'outgrown' or 'no longer-never did-never will interest the readers in this home'.

Some reject books were received as gifts (by people who didn't have a clue), purchased on a whim or acquired in some other fashion (think long term book loans - these would finally go back to their original owners).
Of course, books are saved from the Goodwill box if there is an iota of sentimental value attached...

Even with the periodic purges, my library never really gets smaller.
There's temporary storage of books in the garage - those that will eventually be cycled back into the house. Not unlike a museum rotating its vast collection of art works (this museum houses approx. 700,000 pieces of art, with only about 15,000 on current display).
Well, kinda sorta.

'Too many books, too little time'?
An adage that rings deafeningly loud and with absolute truth in this home of multiple libraries.
Are you too a collector of books ..... lover of reading ..... closet librarian, perhaps?

P.S. I still fancy moving into a bigger house* someday ~ for several reasons.
From reading these posts, you can probably guess what those are.

* dreaming via the pipe - if anything, our living space will downsize further as the years progress...

Planet Earth, I's a-waitin'!

First of all, I hope you're still enjoying Sunday's 'Coming Attraction' post.
I'm working on the follow-up and it'll be another day or so before I get that published on this here blog.

In the meantime, watch the clip above and get yourselves psyched for this:
Did you happen to view the (eagerly awaited) BBC series 'Planet Earth' on The Discovery Channel some weeks ago?
Perhaps you felt the same way I did about the television presentation - that is, nauseated* to the point where I finally turned off the tv and fled for the other room.
If you know what I'm talking about, then you will be (as I am) delighted to know that the release of the series on DVD is just round the corner.

* Due to the numerous and lengthy commercial breaks. The adverts were ridiculously excessive, irritating, and continually (as well as very rudely) broke up the gentle ebb and flow of the documentary.
I don't have Tivo. Even if I did, fast-forwarding would also take away from the seamless quality of the film.

The soon-to-be-released DVD has David Attenborough narrating, as on the original show. Not Sigourney Weaver, who did the narration for American television. She did a fair job, but why change what ain't broke?

'Creative decision-making' in the hands of television producers and advertisers ~ accccch ~ don't even go there....

Anyways.
'Planet Earth'.
Available for purchase/rental in less than one week.
No commercial interruptions = viewed as it was meant to be.

Double Huzzah!

Coming attraction

Kitchen Choreography

There are partners you whirl, twirl and jitterbug 'cross the dance floor with.
There are partners you trip the life fantastic with.
There are partners you can count on to ride the rails with.
(John Hartford quote: 'He's a good man to ride the rails with')

And then - there are those partners who you're able to dance the kitchen dance with.
Those are rare indeed.

If you've ever experienced an unrehearsed choreography with someone who can match you step-for-step during food prep in the kitchen, you know what I'm talking about.

Kitchen choreography.

It's when you and another person work in accord. It's how you position yourselves in seamless movements with one another whilst the two of you consider a series of food preparation steps.

He/she washes dirt off the veggies, you chop.
You stir the roux, he/she stands by to add more flour or butter.
He/she tastes the gravy, you have more seasonings at the ready.

You're never in each other's way. You're not at the sink when the other person is there rinsing the salad greens or washing out a just-used mixing bowl or filling a pot with water to boil the pasta. He/she isn't stepping over to the fridge at the exact moment you head over there for another egg.

He/she IS there to open the oven door for you when you've got both hands under the baking dish, balancing the liquidy filling for a pumpkin pie that is ready for baking.
That person is there to give a thorough wipe down of the cutting board and countertop after the raw poultry meat has been sliced; readying the area for preparation with ingredients for the next dish.
When he/she lifts the lid off the curry chicken, you're there with a shallow ladle to skim off some of the hot fat from the surface of the sauce.

You see that the honey is crystalized into a solid mass and needs a hot water bath. He/she notices at the same time, and is already reaching over to put the kettle on.

You work so well in concert that few, if any - instructional comments need be exchanged. Between the two of you, it is UNDERSTOOD what needs to be taken care of now and what needs to be done next, or even a few steps beyond next.

You literally dance round one another, at the same time, you are dancing together.
It's unplanned - yet harmonious, synchronized.
It is a pure delight, and spices up the cooking experience with the additional ingredient of FABULOUSFUN.

There are only a handful of people I've had the pleasure to cook with (thus far) whose kitchen choreography has been in perfect sync with mine. It is a pleasure and honor to move round the kitchen with these very special partners.

Another plus: 'We' turn out great meals together.

Post Script

Aforementioned (see 3/23/07 blogpost) purple glass bunny candy dish had a place of honor at the Springtime Tea Party.

It was filled with (but of course) chocolate candy Easter eggs!

Take Time for Tea

Last Sunday, we took time for tea here at the home of yours truly.

There were 8 of us in attendance for a variation of British tea. Ignoring any hard and fast rules dictating tea-taking, I ended up combining several styles into one rather pleasant afternoon gathering.

Result: A Springtime Tea Party.

We poured our brew into pretty china teacups, ate an assortment of delectable foods and were a most convivial group, spending hours in one another's good company.

Around the communal table, we heralded the arrival of spring, new growth and the continuity of life.

Such a celebration it was!
Absolutely lovely.
Damn good.

We sipped tea and sampled morsels of delicious teatime fare served alongside the requisite scones, lemon curd, rough-cut marmalade, double Devon cream (the real deal!) and berry jam.

Such a mouth-watering array of savouries and sweets!
Not to be believed.
A little over the top. Just the way I like our food parties to be.

We started by tasting dainty spoonfuls of cream of carrot-ginger soup served in wee bowls, then continued on to devour deviled eggs, quiche and other phyllo dough covered pastries, 3 kinds of tea sandwiches (smoked salmon on cream cheese with fresh dill, curried chicken salad, thin cucumber slices with cream cheese), fresh-baked mini cupcakes and slices of rich, moist banana bread, crunchy pea pods stuffed with garlicky goat cheese, flaky palm cookies, delightful petit fours, candied ginger, chocolate pistachio toffee candy and more...

I brewed 5 different flavours of hot tea and served iced tea as well.
There were four different sweeteners (two types of sugar, Splenda and honey), lemon wedges and milk to add to the tea, if desired.

We even had a slop basin for any residual cold tea from our cups (also for spent lemon wedges and the like).

At every place setting was a decorated party favor treat box for each honored guest to take home. The treat box contained an Easter egg (dyed with natural veggie dyes), chocolate eggs and Jelly Belly jelly beans.

Call it High Tea*, if you will - I call it Full Tilt Way Boogie Woogie Big Mama Tea! Preparation was insane: cooking, dicing, slicing, baking, assembling...it took several days to prep!

Setting the table alone required almost an hour's time: choosing the appropriate dishes, washing and drying the pieces...and placing everything 'just so' on the table.

Thank goodness for a little help from my friends. Guests who help are awesome and always most welcome in my kitchen!
Even with much-appreciated assistance, I had no/zero/nada time to take photographs before, during or after the party.
Nary a minute.
A cryin' shame, that is!
Hopefully, guests took pix and will share them before long.

After all was said and consumed and done - the next day - I finally did find a moment to snap a picture of some of the teapots we used before storing them away again.

This year, I have every intention to make it a point to set aside more time for the ritual of a cup of tea (and to share that time with family/friends).

In addition, I'd like to take that tea in a variety of styles.
Tea time is observed by cultures all over the world and I hope to interpret and stage my version of a few of those traditions here in the sweet comfort of home-sweet-home.

Hmmmm.....think I'll write up a menu featuring different tea styles for my little Tea Time Corner of the dining room (really and truly, there is such a designated area).
Will include English-style tea time ~ and more.

Y'all come over for a cuppa sometime soon, OK?
(Do bring something to add to our tea time - I ain't doin' all the woik no mo'!)

* Interestingly enough, 'High Tea' (aka 'Meat Tea') was what the English working class had as their evening meal and 'Low Tea' was enjoyed by the well-to-do as an afternoon picker-upper (on a low table).

Craft Warning

Current (sewing) project: Seminole patchwork.

That little yellow and purple bit in the right hand corner of the photo took me about an hour to cut and sew up.
It's all about precision patchwork quilting.
Aready I love/hate it.
[smile]
[wink]

Will post more as I progress.
If I don't run screaming first .

Fresh or Thousand Year Old?

The ones pictured of course, are Easter eggs.
Made with fresh chicken eggs.
Bright and colorful on the outside.
Hard-cooked yellow and white on the inside.

Considering colored eggs on this Easter Sunday - got me to thinking about
one thousand year old eggs.

AKA Century eggs.
Made with fresh (believe it or not) chicken eggs (or duck eggs?).
Greenish of yolk and gelatinous but firm amber colored egg white.
Slightly cheesy, sometimes mildly pungent.
Definitely odd-looking.
Euewwww, right?
Wrong.

Granted, thousand year old eggs are an acquired taste.
Truly, you almost have to have been raised with the concept and introduced
to the exotic flavor in tiny bites, getting used to it over time (read: years)(one thousand?)(HaHa) to appreciate the taste. They were a food staple in the kitchen and at the dinner table when I was growing up in San Francisco.

I enjoy them the way we used to back then - sliced up fine in jook (rice congee) or cut into wedges and served with Chinese-style pickled scallions and a little drizzle of oil.


Served up properly, thousand year old eggs are downright yummy. They are also an ingenious way to preserve an egg for a long while.
Albeit Weird.
If I didn't grow up eating them, I'd be very...very...wary.

The New World (to some, it was already thousands of years old...)

'The New World' is a DVD in my possession. It was given to me by someone who, after watching it - decided not to keep it in her DVD library.

I had no preconceived ideas or high/low expectations before viewing the film myself.
[Though after watching/forming my own opinion, I've since read that some theater goers walked out during the first minutes. In the comfort of my own living room, multitasking with a knitting project - my plan was to stay put.]

And so - 'The New World' - again, perhaps something of a misnomer for all who lived there for thousands of years before the arrival of outsiders...
Ahem. Moot point, however.
On to the movie...

...what a surprise.

'The New World' is:
An 'historical adventure' recounted with a decided emphasis on the pictorial. Big time allegorical imagery.

Heavy on the narrative (POV of the main characters), minimum of dialogue.

Offers unconventional storytelling, at least for a blockbuster epic. If 'The New World' was even destined for blockbuster status in the first place.

Features a musical score with nature sounds + Wagner opera + Mozart concertos + Native-American instruments + chants.
Incongruous? No.
Seamless? Yes.

This film pushes at the bounds of artistic film interpretation for the mainstream, which can prove fatal at the box office. Whilst watching - even with the distraction of knitting - I got the distinct feeling of connection in telepathic thought with the characters. Then there was the uncanny sense of feeling personally involved with moving within the scenes...

A thoughtful movie, with much built-in time to ponder - yes, this could be interpreted as slow.
However, meditation is a good thing. Particularly on this topic.
For me, it was kinda sorta - spiritual, even.

Mission accomplished (?) by director Terrence Malick.
It worked for me, anyway.

The 'official' movie link reflects something of the style of the film, and is a fascinating perusal. Have a listen to the Podcasts.
The music at the site is a delightful experience in and of itself.

If you're looking for the usual run-of-the-mill WhiteManMeetsInjuns shoot 'em up with guns and arrows story; with gratuitous rape, pillage and an abundance of riding 'cross the plains scenes (they are in the woods around the Jamestown Colony, after all), this one will bore you to tears. It's much more subtle than that. It's moviemaking with a sensitive approach to the topic. Sensitivity?!? No small wonder this one got 'overlooked' upon release in 2005.

One word movie review: Sublime.

I've been in such a FAUX mode!

(Faux) Gold and turquoise Aztec necklace.
Materials used: wood joinery 'biscuits', cut-up and circle punched paint chip samples, Liquid Pearl, gold spray paint, jump rings, acrylic paint, Mod Podge.
(Faux) Silver and turquoise Aztec necklace.
Materials used: wood joinery 'biscuits', Liquid Pearl, acrylic paint, silver spray paint, Sculpey III.
(Faux) NorthWest Native-American birch bark basket.
Materials used: tag board, small scraps of crackle look scrapbooking paper, Super Tape, Mod Podge, paper twist, calligraphy ink (to color paper twist brown), acrylic paint, twine to sew paper twist to basket.
(Faux) Southwest Native-American Pottery.
Materials used: gourd (top section cut off with Dremel cutting tool), spray paint in three colors (5 layers of spray needed to achieve desired buff color & texture, as well as to cover up a painted design that was already on the gourd), black sharpie pen (quelle toxique!) to draw design on pot.

As mentioned in a previous post, I'm currently enrolled in a 'Hands-On Art History' class. This semester, we're studying the art/craft of indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Class meets once a week and is 3 hours long. Class time is devoted to lecture, discussion, leafing through books and watching videos pertaining to the subject, technique demos and show n' tell of artifacts. Occasionally a guest speaker will illuminate the class on a particular aspect of our study.

The 'hands-on' part of the course takes the form of homework assignments: create an artsy-crafty something inspired by the week's topic.

Homework is brought to the next class meeting for critique and further discussion.

Project parameters aren't stringent. Students are urged to approach the assignment with an open mind. Thinking outside the box is encouraged.
Consequently, a variety of fascinating perspectives are offered up during the weekly project review.

Knowledge is shared in a casual (no grades) and fun (lotsa laffs) classroom atmosphere.

Great formula for learning = Open Mind + Education + Creativity + Fun

Dizzy over Daiso

Last Sunday afternoon, I finally got to shop at Daiso = The 100 Yen Store.
This Daiso is located in Daly City, and is one of the first, if not the first Daiso in California.

I always consider myself lucky when finding good items at discounted prices, and am always on the hunt. Daiso is chock-full of such finds. No hunting necessary. Just open your eyes and there are goodies everywhere.
The deals are even better than the legendary KMart 'blue light specials'.

Shopping at Daiso is such a blast!
Not only are the items useful in and of themselves, there's plenty there to get the artsy-crafty juices flowing if you're of a creative bent.

Accompanied by DollinkDaughterLLS, DollinkSon-in-LawD and HubbyDear, the lot of us mingled with other heavy-into-discount-prices shoppers. The joint was jumpin', as most Bay Area stores are on the weekends. Particularly the ones offering great prices for great stuff....

Some weeks earlier, DollinkDaughter LLS spent two full hours scoping out the place.
On this second visit, she already had a 'lay of the land' and knew where to herd her hapless momma through the maze of goods.

It would have been impossible to pick up and consider each and every one of the thousands upon thousands of items, so we did the 'quickish scan n' shop' method, trying to keep in mind only to buy what we simply could not live without...

Most of the goods in Daiso are practical, beautiful, cute, funny or downright odd. The best stuff of course is the weird stuff.
It's really too much to describe here. Definitely a see-it-to-believe-it place.

The majority of packaging is in Japanese, but if you don't read Japanese, no worries.
If the shopper isn't already familar with what an item might be used for, all he/she has to do is investigate the packaging.

There you're likely to find cartoon-y illustrations accompanied by small print instructions about the product. These can provide an amusing as well as fair-to-clear indication of what some of the more mysterious of 'mystery items' might be used for.
Half the fun is trying to figure out what something is!

(Fans of Engrish can have ahelluvagoodtime just studying the great packaging)

About an hour later, and in something of a daze - I finally found myself standing in the check-out line with a total of 33 items in my shopping cart. I parted with $54 to purchase them all.

Huzzah! for Daiso!

Before Morgan Freeman

became God -
He was Easy Reader (remembah?) - just another good lookin' GUY on
The Electric Company.

"Easy Reader, that's my name, umm, umm-umm!"