enSue’s Neighborhood

Have you ever eaten something so good it gave you a tongue-gasm?

Do you tend to prefer breakfasts that come with a syrup decanter or three?

Aren’t waffles a serious pain in the dumper to prepare?

And really, don't you think pancakes are more exciting as headwear for small to medium sized mammals*?

Right. Well, here’s what you’re gonna do…

Turn your oven on to 350° F (175° C), then go about getting all this stuff together: 5 cups bread cubes, 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 tablespoons white sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon softened butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Next, mix the eggs, milk, salt, and vanilla all together. Works best if you do this in a large bowl or something similar. Milk and eggs need boundaries or they’ll just run roughshod right over you (figuratively speaking, of course).

Anyway, liberally slather the inside of an 8x8 baking dish with whatever edible lubricant you like – I recommend butter – and then evenly fill the bottom of the dish with bread cubes. Dump the egg/milk mixture all over it, pat the whole mess with butter in random spots, and then let it sit there for a few minutes while you mix the sugar and cinnamon together and whip up a can of frozen orange juice. Some people don’t like coffee, you know.

After you’ve sprinkled the cinna-sugar all over the top of your casserole, stick it in the oven for around 45 minutes. Might take longer. Might not. Just let it get nice and golden brown and try not to freak out when you look in the oven and see it has expanded to forty times its original size. That’s totally normal (and completely humane).

Finally, scoop a big ol’ wad out onto a plate, douche it with your favorite syrup, and push it in your pie-hole. Don’t just gulp it down like a starving Rottweiler, though. Let your tongue take a run at it a few times first; have its fun for a bit. It works hard everyday; helping you talk, picking your teeth, gesturing provocatively to the ladies.

C'mon. Go make your tongue some funky French Toast Casserole. You know it’s the right thing to do.

*Yes, I know it’s a dorayaki, not a pancake, and that Oolong has gone on to bunny nirvana. I am also fairly certain they have plenty of syrup there.

• 10:08 RT @ChinaGlaze: I want 2 win the C&Gs @ChinaGlaze! #
• 12:03 We'll be there! RT @tiannahall: playing tonight at sambuca jazz cafe 7-11 w/ my boyz richard cruz & steve brown schmap.it/eRmtlH #
• 18:13 We've got nowhere to go / We've got nothing to prove. Instead of dancing alone / I should be dancing with you. ♫ blip.fm/~if73a #
• 18:23 You're a lucky girl if you have someone in your life that ALWAYS says the right thing. In my case it's @cachanchan. I <3 you, cupcake! #
• 20:23 I just became the mayor of Sambuca Jazz Cafe on @foursq uare! 4sq.com/8Lc1gN #
• 20:23 Talking with Carson and @cachanchan while waiting for @TiannaHall to sing. (@ Sambuca Jazz Cafe) 4sq.com/8Lc1gN #
• 21:03 Awww! A couple just got engaged. I sent them drinks. So adorable! bit.ly/6Q41zr #
• 22:20 Listening to @cachanchan explain the concept of ghetto to a trio of Frenchmen. bit.ly/6Q41zr #
• 23:39 With @cachanchan and the French. (@ Shay Mc Elroy's Irish Pub) 4sq.com/6maBrZ #
• 01:56 Slumber party with @cachanchan after a late night CVS stop. #

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1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Taught at Mass College of Art and at Boston University, published a cookbook for our family and friends (through blurb.com), began studying Italian in earnest, saw Moby in concert. 

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Didn't do so hot this year but plan on making 2010 be rather kickass.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No immediate relatives but several friends!

4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather passed away in September.

5. What countries did you visit? Hmmm. I didn't leave the country this year, not even to go to Canada. 

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? A trip to Europe under my belt and a downpayment on a house.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Not sure if specific dates will be etched into my brain, but I'll remember how I felt when I got the news that Romeo had kidney disease, and when my grandfather died. Oh, also the inauguration of Obama was a historic event that was incredible to be able to see, even if only on television. And the week that my long-lost friend (17 years lost!) Leanna came to visit!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Teaching, and receiving agent interest on my unfinished book (I need to get it done and follow through!!).

9. What was your biggest failure? Not getting further on the novel than I would have liked. Not doing anything about my health goals. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? A few colds (including the massive eye and nose dripping head cold I have right now), otherwise mostly was healthy.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Tickets to Italy for spring 2010!!! YAY

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Joe for putting up with me for a ninth straight year!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Let's just say that they know who they are.

14. Where did most of your money go? Probably eating out too often. Fixing appliances that seemed to always break. We did better this year, being able to save for Italy, pay down some debt and should have a good start on a down payment on a house for next year.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Visiting Italy! 

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Negramaro, Il Distrazione

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? Happier, fatter, richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Worked on my novel.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? sleeping in instead of going to the gym.

20. How did you spend Christmas? We went to the "Pitt" as we affectionately call Pittsfield, MA. where Joe's parents live. Was happy, peaceful and full of good wine, food and excellent company.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? I fall more in love with Joe every year. Sappy but true.

22. What was your favorite TV program? True Blood, Legend of the Seeker, Sanctuary

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Glenn Beck is higher on the list.

24. What was the best book you read? Just one? Oh my. I really loved La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language by Dianne Hales. I bought several copies for friends this Christmas.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Polly Scattergood and St. Vincent

26. What did you want and get? Tickets to Italy! A Canon Powershot and a Flip Cam

27. What did you want and not get? Zelda for the Wii. A raise (company froze them, just as so many other companies have). A magic fat-disappearing wand.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Star Trek

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 38. Nothing terribly memorable. Went to Clio and ate at the bar.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? My job could have been less painless personality-wise, I suppose. Also, I still haven't mastered the ability to care less about what people think of me.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Back to my roots (blonde!). But otherwise, as bold and distinctive as always.

32. What kept you sane? Joe!

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? David Tennant

34. What political issue stirred you the most? There are oh too many.

35. Who did you miss? I ended a long dying friendship this year and that makes me immeasurably sad.

36. Who was the best new person you met? My friends in my most recent Italian class. 

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. I'm always learning. I need to get better at applying.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  (popular Italian song, Ma il cielo e' sempre più blu)

Chi sogna i milioni, chi gioca d’azzardo

chi gioca coi fili, chi ha fatto l’indiano

chi fa il contadino, chi spazza i cortili

chi ruba, chi lotta, chi ha fatto la spia

na na na na na na na na na

Ma il cielo è sempre più blu uh uh, uh uh,

ma il cielo è sempre più blu uh uh, uh uh, uh uh…

Let me know if you do the year end meme! 

In a manner not unlike the Apostle Paul, I have journeyed to many places in the United States during this decade. Hopefully, I can travel to the southwest during the next decade.

• 03:25 I'm pretty sure the default greeting upon meeting me shouldn't be a handshake, but dousing with holy water. #
• 11:34 Soundtrack moments: This playing in the car at 3 am. ♫ blip.fm/~id740 #
• 14:11 Question: Why do the crazy people get to win? #
• 15:54 You can occupy my every sigh / You can rent a space inside my mind / At least until the price becomes too high. ♫ blip.fm/~idhz2 #
• 02:08 We all have a weakness / But some of ours are easy to identify. ♫ blip.fm/~ie5pm #

Kymberlie's Tweets automatically shipped by LoudTwitter. Blog comments are welcomed and encouraged!

wonderful christmas eve dinner with family and friends!

awesome way to end off the year 2009!

 

My head is absolutely buzzing with ideas and planning, goals, projects and lists. I should be a professional project creator. I have come to the conclusion that there are simply not enough hours in the day. What should one do? Sleep less? Hardly!  But managing my time more effectively would probably go a long way towards helping me accomplish every harebrained scheme I think up.

 

 

What a delightful weekend we just spent. Sherlock Holmes was interestingly done and well worth a watch. I remember my mum reading Sherlock Holmes to me and my sisters at bedtime. The story of the speckled band scared the proverbial crap out of me.  I remember reading the story to Jesse and Libby when they were still quite young (we were living in Hawaii at the time) and they were completely unruffled by it.

 

 

I wanted to go to the zoo today (yes, in December) but the snow was coming down thick and fast.

 

 

 Todd didn't fancy negociating icy roads all the way to Indianapolis so we stayed close to home.

 

 Ice skating wasn't the same without our English cousins but we're planning to get them stateside next winter.

 

 

 

The topic today is guitar – specifically the kind that plug in. Why? Because it's my birthday and that's what I want to blab about.

So anyway, here’s an easy lick that enables even intermediate level guitar players to readily throw some ripping scale runs into their improv playing. It goes through 24 notes just to ascend a single octave, so it’s a great way to add a bar of shred while relocating to a new position on the fretboard for the next part of your solo.

It also sounds pretty damn slick.

But what’s really nice about this riff is that it only uses the first and second strings and the exact same frets are used on both strings. That makes it easy to remember and easy to execute.

We’re in everyone’s favorite shredding key, E minor, which is spelled E, F#, G, A, B, C, D. Begin on the E note located at the fifth fret of the B string and then ascend the scale in six-note stairs.

I’ve tabbed it out in the example above as a legato riff, which really makes this lick haul ass. To play it this way, pick only the first note in each triplet, then hammer-on the next two notes. The result is a fast, fluid run of notes that also looks cool as you play it.

This pattern also makes a terrific alternate picking lick. Start with a down stroke and use an “outside” picking style by alternating up-down-up-down all the way through.

Once you’re comfortable with all four positions, start adding some spice by mixing them up all over the place. The results can be pretty cool. I uploaded a full sheet of tablature examples with this post to help get you started. Yay! FREE TABS!

it's a quiet 37th birthday for me, as it usually is. it's what i've come to expect since my birthday is just two days after christmas.

but i can't complain. my cold is almost gone and i had a quiet day with just doug and chaeli.

doug and chaeli baked me a cake and i'm about to have a delicious dinner - spaghetti and garlic bread. doug made the sauce from scratch - tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, ground beef and pancetta. the bread is a freshly made italian loaf from the bakery and the wine is my favourite spanish red.

all these things will make this day memorable.

but what will REALLY make it one not to be forgotten, is the fact that i didn't hear doug and chaeli come home from the market. and the fact that i was dosing off while watching 'love actually' when chaeli came barging into my room. and the very fact that on our 37" high definition, flat lcd screen which towers over chaeli, was the scene from 'love actually' of the two stand-ins talking to one another, in the nude, while stimulating a sex scene (as they were stand-ins for what we are to assume is a porno flick).

and it was at that exact scene, to which chaeli stops right there, front and centre of the TV and asks, "mommy... what are you watching?"

i stumble towards the remote while muttering, "uh... nothing" as i fumble to find the off button.

then, my dear five year old turns to me to say, "doesn't look like nothing."

this is how i sum up parenting. you spend all this energy to shelter your child from things they are too young to see... all the effort and energy, snubbed out in one single split second where you totally fuck up.

I only had four resolutions in 2009. Here is a brief summary, along with the results.

1.     I will read 50 books this year. I am currently at 68, so this was a success.

2.     I will observe the fasting and dietary practices of various holidays in several of the world’s religions. I failed during Lent.

3.     I will implement some sort of plan concerning my educational goals. I am happily working on a Master’s Degree in Holistic Health.

4.     I will finally join my local Unitarian Universalist congregation. I was going to do this and actually interviewed for a youth coordinator position in June. However, this experience was negative and disappointing. This experience made me realize I do not need to be in a congregation and it’s okay to be the spiritual and religious person I am. I finally put to rest any lingering doubts and questions regarding my own acceptance of my spirituality. Therefore, this was a failure and a success.

I don’t have any specific resolutions for next year. Instead, I commit to these ten ideas.

1.     Maintain a positive and realistic worldview.

2.     Embrace simplicity.

3.     Live in the present moment.

4.     Learn from mistakes and let them go to history.

5.     Consider the future, but don’t be controlled by it.

6.     Remember that I am influenced by my environment & circumstance, but I have the power to make positive and productive choices despite this influence.

7.     Live fearlessly by knowing how fears are constructed and how to deal with them.

8.     Consider the context of a situation.

9.     Be open to learning.

10.  Remember these words: balance, mindfulness, energy, forgiveness, critical thinking, wholeness, & harmony.