Don't fall for the hype that everything's hugely discounted at the mall right now. I found out today that everything's on sale except the stuff in which you're actually interested! "That would be regular price" declares the helpful Sales Associate with a beaming smile whenever and wherever I ask & whatever I ask about. I managed to score this pair of cuties, though, at 25% off. Not too shabby, I suppose.
Our ginger beer is ready, and mine turned out really well. Ask me for the recipe if your interested. Final reports are posted here as well as a big photo of the happy brewers.
A group with a purpose organized by Skip, another group I can recommend wholeheartedly. To quote the website, "Activities include talks, workshops, work parties, demonstrations, resource/information sharing, meals, socials, projects and other doings to foster sustainable living." I only came across it last week when I was scouting out fun things to do for Christmas break. I'm glad I found these guys! Their urban gardening is a bit beyond my capacities, but I'm game for DIY projects. Today Skip offered a Ginger Brew Workshop. Don't ask me yet how our self made ginger beer tastes, we'll have to wait a couple of days to find out. The concoction has to ferment for a day or two, and then chill in the fridge overnight before it's ready. We decided we'll get in touch later to let each other now how our individual interpretation of the recipe will have turned out. I added a little vanilla to the sugar/lemon/ginger mix; it smelled delicious. Skip warned us that the brew could actually explode during fermentation. How exciting is that! Today we mostly enjoyed the social aspect of the undertaking, and I found them a fun bunch to hang out with. (Photo by S.V. Bristol Rose)
...Information and Communication Technologies is that what serves us to connect over a distance also serves to disconnect us from the tangible reality immediately surrounding us, that it tempts us to replace true human bonding with noncommittal and abstract virtual interactions.
Last night Greg and Rob and I, later joined by stragglers Kurt and Tina, tried the Parish Publick House for a get-together. I liked it even better than the first time I was there. I have to investigate if I can move Yoga to another day so that I could become a Monday Stammtisch regular. Not much practice of the German language here, but lots of beer. 
Rob's Fete letztes Wochenende ist ja wirklich schon fast verjährt, aber da es noch eine Weile kalt genug bleiben wird für heisse Wintergetränke soll Mitorganisator Greg's Hexen Punch nicht unerwähnt bleiben. Ich war ja skeptisch als ich neben dem ersten Riesenpot mit Rob's leckerem Glühwein eine Batterie Flaschen um einen zweiten Riesenpot auf dem Herd gruppiert sah. Weinbrand, weisser Rum, Weisswein, Eierlikör, Orangensaft... sollen alle in einen Topf? Ja sicher, ob ich Hexen Punch denn nicht kenne, ist doch eine deutsche Spezialität. Wohl nicht überall in Deutschland, wie meine Mutter später bestätigt. Ihr wäre das Gebräu auch noch nicht untergekommen. Es stellt sich heraus, dass der Punch überaus lecker ist und sogar mich Eierlikörskeptiker schnellstens überzeugt. Ein Rezept für Hexenpunsch ist online nicht zu finden, dafür aber Einfacher Eierpunsch, und für Fortgeschrittene der Dresdner Weihnachtsmarkt Eierpunsch. Aha, aus der Ecke also. Was mich erstaunt ist wie ähnlich der Dresdner dem Englischen Eierpunsch ist. Na sowas! Übersetzt wird der Englische Eierpunsch zum Egg Nog. Ja warte, wie? Ich dachte das wäre das gewöhnungsbedürftige amerikanische Zeug mit Muskatnuss? Es stellt sich heraus, dass der Klassische Egg Nog erst einmal nur ganz dezent vanilliert daherkommt, bevor man ihn mit "Garnishes & Stir-ins" aufmotzt, die ihn geschmacksmässig in alle möglichen Richtungen entführen können. "• Ground nutmeg," oder aber auch "• Plain brandy, rum or whiskey • Fruit juice or nectar." Ja, hallo Hexenpunsch! Womit der Kreis sich schliesst.
For incredible egg recipes, including one for Classic Egg Nog, you might want to bookmark the Incredible Egg Recipes (what else...)
Gestern war Weihnachtsfeier in der McHenry Library. Anettes künstlerisch äusserst wertvolle Aufnahmen sind auf Flickr zu bewundern. Die Kinder hatten es ihr anscheinend am meisten angetan, ich bin allerdings auch auf einem Foto im Hintergrund verewigt (siehe rechts, wird grösser auf Mausklick). Auf der gleichen Flickr Seite ist ein Set mit Aufnahmen von unserem "Open House" zum Studienanfang im Herbst zu sehen. Auf den letzten drei Bildern bin ich auch zu finden--- wenn man genau hinsieht.
It's Thursday night. I'm admittedly neglecting the log function of this site. Instead of overdue recaps I'm indulging in the guilty pleasure that is "My Name is Earl." Yes, I know, my brain urgently advised to stop watching two seasons ago when the show started its descent into knee-deep unapologetic cuteness. Still, I can't resist. Why? I thought about it. The answer: Jason Lee is just so very simpatico. And why is that? Well, because he sounds so familiar, like I've known the guy forever. And why is that? Jason Lee was... born and raised in SoCal, spent all his life there, incl. the stretch as pro skateboarder before he became an actor. Dude! No wonder. Could he be more Californian! There is a dark side, though, which makes his appeal more than a little creepy: Mr Superlikable is a Scientologists. WTF & BOO! Seriously! I was all for California English, CA lifestyle and attitude subversively invading colder climates and souls via the inescapable temptations and offerings of the entertainment industry, but now I better stop applauding presto & midair. Scientology is piggybacking the sunny off-beat dudeness of Earl Hickey right into our living rooms. Shocking! I'm still watching, but "guilty pleasure" has taken on a whole new meaning. Although, Jason Lee isn't spooky Cruise, or oddball Beck. I can see how Lee, a guy who named his son "Pilot Inspektor" would simply get a kick out of the whoa!whacky Hubbard brand of SciFi fantasy/philosophy. For some THC-free (yeah, right!) analysis of the issue check out Flyblog Wheelpost.
I meant to write about Gus van Sant's Milk, and also the fabulous Christmas parties I enjoyed over the last couple of days, but my weekend report has to wait since I got seriously sidetracked by curiosity to sites I'd like to share with you. First, I came across a recommendation for the blogs on artsJournal. Before I could check out the fine art blogs I stumbled over Performance Monkey featuring a review of the Royal Shakespeare Company's latest production of Hamlet with David Tennant, well, actually, NOT in the title role anymore. Awww! It's - like - the cute new Dr. Who gets - like - rave reviews as Hamlet, but - like - all the sudden he's not Hamlet anymore and everybody's bummed. What? I'll explain later. Well, looking at a RADA profile of understudy Edward Bennett I read, "Nationality: British, Natural Accent: RP" RP? Randwick Plymstock? What the hey & where on earth? The next search is on. Turns out that RP stands for Received Pronunciation. Well, slap me with whatevayougot, I did not know that! Although I wish my pronuncation were Received I waste only a little time trying it on, and while I still wonder somewhere in the back of my mind why RSC actors pop up in SciFi to hop right back to Shakespeare (I forgot to mention that "Patrick Stewart is a masterly Claudius" OMG! Captain Piccard! OMG! Of course the whole freakin' season sold out in no time), I nevertheless speedily proceed to a less profound topic, the phenomenon that is "California English." As illustrated above, it does exist, a fact which the Wikipedia article also tries to prove, complete with distinction between the SoCal and NorCal variety. Awesome, dude! Good for a chuckle, but if you really want to have fun follow me all the way to The Dialectizer. I had the engine translate this site into Redneck, Cockney, Swedish Chef, and Moron, and was extremely pleased with the results. Try it! That should keep you busy until I find the time to write my epistles on Harvey Milk and Hexenpunch.
Although it's been around for a while I had never been to Shogun, so I was happy to check it out when Gerry suggested it for our pre-concert dinner. The restaurant is very pretty, very busy, with a vibe of young energy on a Saturday night. The food, though, is less exciting than the atmosphere & interior of the place. There were five of us, so there was some variety in what we ordered. The Miso soup and Pacific/California Rolls were good, the dinner boxes huge and also not bad, but it certainly isn't top-notch. A salad consisting of Iceberg lettuce is always a turn-off for me, even if the dressing is "addictive," to quote Gerry. I also would have expected better soy sauce than Kikkoman on the table. Kikkoman? A place that calls itself "Japanese Restaurant" should be able to do better. On the other hand, when we ordered a pot of tea for 2 bucks, we were served very delicious Genmaicha, which was a pleasant surprise. Once you stumble over the schizophrenic transient, weave thru the zombie heroin addict kids, wind around the hippies and hipsters and avoid the usual gaggle of oddities that make up the greater population: you will find Shogun.That's Pacific Avenue on Planet Cruz for you!
I absolutely loved New Music Works' "Music for Linda" featuring compositions by Zappa, Cage, Sid Robinovitch, Hyo-shin Na, Stravinsky, and locals Philip Collins & Lou Harrison. Definitely not the last New Music Works concert I will enjoy. The next one, Continuation, is already coming up in January, and there will be two more for this season in March and June.
20°C
Joseph Stroud and Susan Freeman Joseph Stroud has a new collection of poems arriving this winter: Of This World: New and Selected Poems (Copper Canyon Press, December 1, 2008). His previous collections are In the Sleep of Rivers (Capra Press, 1974), Signatures (BOA Editions, Ltd., 1982), Below Cold Mountain (Copper Canyon Press, 1998), Country of Light (Copper Canyon Press, 2004), and three limited-edition chapbooks. He was born in 1943 in Glendale, California and received his BA in Literature and Philosophy in 1966 and his MA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 1968. He taught writing and literature at Cabrillo Community College for 35 years and co-hosted The Poetry Show on KUSP. He is the recipient of the prestigious Witter Bynner Fellowship from the Library of Congress. His poems have been featured on National Public Radio, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. He divides his time between Santa Cruz and his cabin at Shay Creek on the east side of the Sierra Nevada.(from the Poetry Santa Cruz December Newsletter)
Read The Potato from Country of Light by Joseph Stroud on the Academy of American Poets website.
Read three more poems from Country of Light on the Copper Canyon Press website:
“Cathedral”, a selection from “I Wanted to Paint Paradise” and “A Coat of Many Colors”.
Dear Friends,
A quick note to let you know that there will be a reading and booksigning at Capitola Book Cafe on Tuesday, December 9 at 7:30. You are cordially invited. I will be reading with Susan Freeman. Hope to see you there!
Joe
I'm tired and I have a headache, but hey!... at least there's a very good reason for it, I was out having fun! It was great to hang out with Joan & the gang. My verdict on last night's show: I wasn't too excited about Mir & A Company's take on modern dance as long as it kept to the ground, but I loved the aerial dance performances. I was particularly fascinated by the shadows cast by the dancers against the back wall. I started to wonder how shadows could have played a larger part in the show. Liz suggested a back-lit screen. More "disembodied" movement would have been perfect for this production, since the dancers were supposed to represent non-corporeal entities like Bowden's psyche, demons haunting him, and desert spirits. The program notes included advertisement for Mir & A Co. classes in aerial dance, which do look a lot of fun on their website.
Tonight we'll be seeing Hands Left Behind, a dance production by Mir & A Company at the 418 Project on Front Street. Joan discovered this show about Arizona based writer and journalist Charles Bowden. I haven't read Bowden yet, but a good start might be a controversial January 2008 article in National Geographic, entitled The Emptied Prairie. He's certainly no stranger to controversy, but today's dance performance will focus on his relationship with the natural world, particularly the Sonoran Desert.
Die New York Times berichtet heute, dass Clinton Is Said to Accept Secretary of State Position. Wer hätte das gedacht! Sympathisch war er mir schon immer, d.h. seit ich ihn noch vor Bekanntgabe seiner Präsidentschaftskandidatur einmal live bei Jay Leno erlebt habe, aber jetzt wächst unbedingt auch meine Achtung für Obama als Stratege. Der Grundstein für jede Entscheidung, die im Augenblick gefällt wird, ist vorauschauend schon vor Monaten mit grossem politischen Kalkül gelegt worden. Der Mann denkt so klar und unbeeinträchtigt von Emotionen, dass es fast schon ein wenig unheimlich ist. Schade, dass er in einer so tiefen Krise an die Macht kommt, und alle Kraft darauf verschwenden muss nur den Status quo vor Bush und seinem kriminellen Regime wiederherzustellen. Was hätte Obama als Oberhaupt eines sozioökonomisch gesunden Landes erreichen können!
Meine Mutter behauptet, dass ihr Carmina Burana kein Begriff ist. Ich bin mir allerdings ganz sicher, dass ihr die Musik vertraut ist, weshalb ich ihr hier eine Aufführung unserer "grossen Schwester" UC Davis zum schnellen Zugriff in den Blog stelle. Beim UCSC Konzert gestern abend ging es lockerer und bunter zu, UC Davis sieht dagegen ein wenig ernster und professioneller aus. Viel Spass beim Zuhören! 
UCSC Arts Performances & Events presents:
Heute abend ist Carmina Burana angesagt, in einer halben Stunde geht's los! Ich habe mich mit Heike und einem halben Dutzend Leutchen von meiner Classical Gruppe verabredet. Morgen kann ich berichten wie es uns gefallen hat. Dieses Wochenende sind noch zwei weitere Aufführungen angesetzt, aber dank enormer Nachfrage dürften wohl kaum mehr Karten zu ergattern sein.
Ich habe eine Email bekommen von SCHMAP, Herausgeber von digitalen Stadtplänen, die man bequemerweise während des Stadtrundgangs auf dem Handy abrufen kann. Ob ich einverstanden wäre, dass sie mein Foto von St. Anna im Lehel in ihren Münchenführer aufnähmen. Ja klar! Geld gibt's keines, nur Ruhm in Form von namentlicher Erwähnung im Bildnachweis. Trotzdem nett! Gefunden haben sie mein Bild auf Flickr, wo ich's beinahe gar nicht hingestellt hätte weil es eigentlich für sich genommen keinen vom Hocker hauen dürfte. Das Widget links gibt wieder, wie der Stadtführer auf dem Handy aussieht, und ist auch interaktiv. Klick auf das kleine blaue "see review"unter der Karte, dann auf der nächsten Seite auf "Klosterkirche St. Anna im Lehel". Im allgemeinen fürchten sich die Leute ja immer ein bisschen, dass Internetpräsenz irgenwie gefährlich sein könnte, aber ich habe bisher (toitoitoi) nur sehr angenehme Überraschungen erlebt. Erst findet mich Shakespeare SC und bietet mir einen Presseausweis für's Festival an, jetzt der Stadtführer; ich bin gespannt, was als nächste kommt...
I just received the following note:Hi afsantacruz,
I am delighted to let you know that your submitted photo has been selected for inclusion in the newly released sixth edition of our Schmap Munich Guide:
Klosterkirche St. Anna im Lehel
http://www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=munich&sid=sights_churches&p=24264&i=24264
If you use an iPhone or iPod touch, then this same link will take you directly to your photo in the iPhone version of our guide. On a desktop computer, you can still see exactly how your photo is displayed and credited.
Thanks so much for letting us include your photo - please enjoy the guide!
Best regards,
Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides
The November Meetup was proof that sometimes the movie is only one aspect of a fun get-together. While nobody considered the film a masterpiece (Demme's RACHEL GETTING MARRIED), the discussion afterwards was great, and to move on to Chocolate for dinner was a brilliant idea. I loved the food as much as the company. I had "Spicy Chocolate Barbequed Pork Roast: Free-Range pork shoulder, slow roasted with our spicy bittersweet chocolate barbeque sauce. Served with potato gateaux & organic baby greens with our fresh lemon dressing." It instantly became my favorite dish, it was so tasty! Chocolate on Yelp.
Last week after work I almost ran into a deer on the bike path through the Big Meadow on campus. It obviously was so fascinated by my merrily blinking bike light that it waited for me to come REALLY CLOSE before it decided to jump across the path. And I thought crazy squirrels shooting across the way on Kamikaze missions were my biggest problem! I keep Paul posted on my near-death wildlife encounters, so when he saw this little video he thought of me immediately. It must have been a lot of fun to design the obstacle course!
Nicht nur, dass sich mir nach der Arbeit auf dem Radweg durch UCSCs grosse Wiese selbstmörderische Erdhörnchen in den Weg schmeissen, letzte Woche wäre ich beinahe in einen Hirsch gebrettert, der im Dunkeln genau vor mir über den Pfad springen musste. Ich bin kräftig auf die Bremse getreten um eine Vollkollision zu vermeiden, aber hinterher war ich trotzdem neugierig wie es sich so angefühlt hätte in einen Hirschkörper zu rennen. Paul, der von meinen Erdhörnchenbegegnungen weiss, hat sofort an mich gedacht als er "Squirrel Obstacle Course" zu sehen bekam. Es muss unheimlich Spass gemacht haben den Hindernislauf zusammenzustellen!
Sooo... I'm done reading Amanda Foreman's Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. I was willing to revise my opinion , but I think even less of of the film now that I read this well researched biography. Not as sensational as the publisher's press release would make you believe, it's a thorough and engaging investigation of Georgiana Spencer's life, as well as British society and politics during the reign of George III. I highly recommend the book, and issue an even more emphatic "Thumbs down!" as far as the movie is concerned.
Ian, Laura, und unser nächster Präsident. Pauls Schwester Laura hat mir das Foto heute morgen geschickt. Ich muss allerdings erst noch herausfinden, bei welchem Anlass sie und ihr Mann Obama getroffen hatten. Ich melde mich zurück. Gestern Nacht wurde übrigens noch fett gefeiert. Die Strassen waren heute früh wie leergefegt, gerade die Studenten schlafen sich heute erst einmal aus.
Ian, Laura, and our next president. Paul's sister Laura sent me the image this morning, "In case you missed this the first 50 times I sent it around - - I couldn’t resist sending again now that it has suddenly increased in value!!!" I still have to find out what the occasion was. Santa Cruz celebrated big time last night, by the way, with parties all over town, fireworks, cars cruising the streets honking.
